


Fallen

by Gallifreyanqueen98 (orphan_account)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Archangel Gabriel (Supernatural), Character Death, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Family, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Sam Winchester's Demonic Powers, Season/Series 03, Season/Series 04, Season/Series 05, Series, Superpowered oc, Swearing, Torture, original character is an orphan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 125,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22431871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Gallifreyanqueen98
Summary: When an orphan finds herself in the world of her favorite show, she doesn't know what to think. This unexpected trip soon proves to be just what she needs to finally get some answers about her parents and herself. Takes place during seasons 3-5.
Kudos: 10





	1. Fallen

**Lawrence, Kansas. April 1989**

A woman paced around a living room, carrying a baby in her arms. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, tall, with medium-length, dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. The baby was only a few months old, her eyes were still a greyish color, but she had very dark brown hair that went almost down to her ears. Sitting on a couch nearby was a man with curly, blond hair and light blue eyes. The baby's name was Amelia, the man was her father, Henry, and the woman carrying her was her mother, Jessica. They were a small, but happy family.

"I think she's finally asleep," Jessica whispered. It was around 9 p.m. and she had been trying to get Amelia to sleep for about half an hour. "I'm gonna go put her in her crib."

Henry nodded, watching his wife walk towards the stairs. As soon as she disappeared up the stairs, he turned back to the paper he had been reading.

" _Henry_!" A panicked scream echoed through the silent house. Henry threw down his paper and rushed up the stairs.

"Jess!" He ran down the hall towards Amelia's bedroom. Jess was clutching Amelia close to her, staring fearfully at a man standing at the end of the dimly lit hallway.

"I don't know who you are, but you need to get out of my house right now before I call the cops," Henry fumed.

The man at the end of the hallway sneered. "Or what?"

Jessica, who had managed to calm down, quickly handed a now-crying Amelia to Henry. "Take the baby and get out of here," she ordered.

Henry took Amelia from his wife and looked at her in surprise. "What? No, I'm not leaving."

"I'm not arguing! Get our baby out of here now!"

Jess pulled out a knife and lunged at the man standing down the hallway. The man flicked his wrist, and she was sent flying back in the opposite direction.

"You know you can't defeat me, Jessie," the man snarled. He flicked his wrist again, and a snap was heard. Jess fell to the floor in a heap, no longer moving.

"Who...what...what are you?" Henry began backing away, his face twisting with apprehension

The man blinked, and his eyeballs turned a solid black color, not answering the question. With another flick of his wrist, Henry was thrown back as well, dropping Amelia in the process. The helpless four-month-old was thrown back toward the living room.

"Amelia!" Henry scrambled to his feet, only to be thrown back again by another invisible force. He watched helplessly as a yellow ring appeared on the ground, sucking everything around it, including Amelia, inside, closing around his four-month-old baby.

"No!" the demon screamed.

"Where's my daughter, you bitch?"

"I don't need to answer to you," The demon sneered. With one final flick of his wrist, Henry's neck snapped, and he fell to the floor just like his wife.

* * *

**Los Angeles, California - 16 years later**

Emily had been at the foster home for as long as she could remember. Ms. Claudwell had found her on the doorstep in the middle of the night of July 24th, 1998, which she turned into Emily's birthday.

The now seven-year-old ran down the hall with her friends towards the TV room. Life at the home wasn't like in the movies where their foster mother made life a living hell. Ms. Claudwell did her best to make sure all the girls felt at home from the moment they got dropped off at the home. She gave them presents every Christmas and birthday, taught them how to read and write, and made sure they had ways to entertain themselves, such as toys, a TV, a computer, and video games. The home even had a pool in the back to swim in during the summer. Each girl had their own bedroom, decorated to their liking. As for Emily, this had been her home her entire life. Seven years of living in the home with five other girls, ages five to fourteen. Her parents didn't leave any note, not even one with her name on it, leading Ms. Claudwell to name her just Emily.

Emily was a small girl for her age. Three feet, five inches and forty-two pounds. Long brown hair that went down to her hips and light brown eyes. She had taken up an interest in drawing and writing recently and could usually be found doing one of the two when she was bored. She also had a secret. One that she and the other girls kept from Ms. Claudwell.

When Emily was four years old she discovered a secret power that she had. If she wanted to, Emily could make objects move without touching them. After a year or so, she was able to float and make the other kids float as well. Of course, being four years old when she found out, she wasn't that good at the time at keeping it a secret and it wasn't long before the other kids found out. The older kids helped Emily control her powers and keep them a secret from Ms. Claudwell, as they were all afraid of what she might do if she ever found out. It was a bit harder getting the younger kids to keep it a secret as well. Almost all of them wanted to run and tell Ms. Claudwell everything that came to their tiny minds.

Overall, Emily was a happy kid. She was still waiting to find a family of her own, but she was still hopeful that it would happen soon.

* * *

**Los Angeles, California - 10 years later**

The now seventeen-year-old Emily watched as another family walked out with three-year-old Alex, who was beaming ear-to-ear. Emily slowly turned around and headed back to her room. She was going to be turning eighteen in two months and the whole time she had been here, nobody had come to adopt her. Around the age of thirteen, she had begun to give up the hope of ever having a family. Another four years and she had stopped meeting the families that came to the house anymore. Nobody wanted to adopt a teenager, let alone one that was going to be an adult in a couple of short months. She no longer felt motivated to do the things she used to love, like writing or drawing. Her powers had stopped working a few years ago as well. She hadn't been able to get them to work since the day she began losing hope.

"Emily?" She heard Ms. Claudwell ask from behind her. "I didn't see you downstairs for adoption day. Is everything okay?"

Emily turned around. "Ye-yeah," she lied. "I just wasn't feeling up to it today."

"What's going on?"

Ms. Claudwell was always someone the girls felt they could talk to about anything, so Emily had no problem opening up. "I just don't see a point in going to those things anymore, okay?"

Ms. Claudwell looked at her for a moment and then gestured Emily into her room. "Talk to me."

"I've been here for seventeen years," Emily sighed. "For seventeen years, I've watched family after family walk in here and leave with either no kid or one of the younger kids. I'm turning eighteen in a couple of months. Nobody is going to adopt me in that amount of time so I just don't see a point in going down there and meeting parents anymore. No one wants a teenager. People would rather adopt a baby or a toddler, or one of the younger kids that they can teach. Not someone who will be an adult soon." She looked up, tears in her eyes. "I'm never going to have a family."

"Sit down real quick."

Emily did.

"Emily, I know these past few years have been hard on you. You used to be this special, bright, shining kid who could light up a room just by walking into it. You wrote amazing stories and were a fantastic artist. And then one day you just stopped. That gleam faded from your eyes and you just changed. That happy little girl was gone and all I saw in her place was a girl who had lost all hope."

Not seeing a reason for this speech, Emily asked, "What's your point?"

"It's not the first time I've seen this. I've watched teenagers start to feel the same way as you are right now, and some of them even got adopted later on. I know there's not much I can do, but I promise it will get better. And one of these days, maybe your powers will come back," Ms. Claudwell smirked.

At that last sentence, Emily looked up in shock. "You knew?"

Ms. Claudwell nodded. "You weren't as good at hiding it when you were younger as you thought." She smiled. "I've known for a long time. I used to love watching you girls dance around in the air as the piano played itself, with all your old toys joining in. It seemed like those were the times that you were happiest."

"Why didn't you say anything? The other girls and I hid it from you because we were afraid of what you might do if you found out. If we had known you knew-"

"You would have been more open with them around me?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah."

"I wanted you to tell me when you were ready." Ms. Claudwell sighed, "but then one day you just stopped using them. I haven't seen anything float around here in years. I miss it."

"I haven't been able to use them in years. I've tried but one day I just woke up and they didn't work. I still have them, I think, they just aren't working."

"I always thought they were tied to your happiness," Ms. Claudwell observed. "From what I saw, the happier you were, the easier it was for you to use them."

Emily shrugged. "Yeah, maybe you're right, but the thing is, I don't think I've been happy in a long time. So, if that is it then..." Emily trailed off with a shrug.

"I've got to go check on the other girls, but if you ever want to talk some more, you know where to find me, yeah?"

Emily nodded. "Thank you Ms. Claudwell."

The rest of the day went by pretty normally. A few years back, Emily had discovered the world of fandoms. She had gotten a job at age fifteen and had eventually saved up enough to buy herself a laptop and cellphone, so she could watch her shows and not have to wait for her turn on the TV. It wasn't long before she discovered a show called Supernatural. And it wasn't long after that that she had fallen in love with it. The show only had three seasons when she discovered it, but it was now on its eleventh and had just been renewed for a twelfth.

Emily yawned as she watched the season eleven finale on Netflix for probably the millionth time. She closed her laptop and laid down, finally getting the well-deserved sleep she needed.

"...okay? ...'llo? Can you hear me?"


	2. All Hell Breaks Loose

"...okay? ...'llo? Can you hear me?"

Emily shot up in a panic. She had been lying on the floor of what looked to be an abandoned building. Moss and weeds were growing through the cracks in the wooden floorboards that she sat on. There were two people in the room with her, and they both looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on who they were.

"What?" Emily looked around. "Where am I?"

"I don't know," a man wearing an army uniform replied. "I just woke up here a minute ago. Same for her." He pointed to a blonde girl wearing black boots, pants, and a leather jacket.

"Hey," Emily waved meekly at the girl, who waved back but didn't reply. "What's going on? Who are you guys?"

"I'm Jake, that's Lily," the man informed her.

"We should try and figure out where we are," Lily finally spoke. "See if there's anyone else here."

Jake led them outside, followed by a slightly-panicking Emily and then Lily in the back.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" He called out. Jake led them around the porch.

"Hello?" A voice called out in reply. The three of them continued in the direction of the voice.

When they reached the side of the house, three more people came running up. Emily recognized one of them instantly.

"Sam?" she whispered to herself.

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed. "Hey, you guys all right?"

"I think so," Jake replied.

"I'm Sam."

"I'm Jake."

"Lily."

Emily raised a hand, "Emily."

"Are there any more of you?" Sam asked.

Jake shook his head. "Naw."

"How did we even get here?" Lily asked. "A minute ago, I was in San Diego."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I went to sleep last night in Afghanistan."

"And I was in LA," Emily finished.

"Let me take a wild guess," Sam looked over at the three people on the porch, "you guys are all twenty-three?"

Jake and Lily nodded, but Emily didn't. No one seemed to notice.

"We all are. And we all have abilities."

"What?" Jake asked.

"It started a little over a year ago?" Sam questioned. "You found you could do things? Things you didn't think were possible?"

Jake and Lily nodded.

"I have visions," Sam continued. "I see things before they happen."

"Yeah. Me, too," The girl who had run over with Sam spoke.

The other man with them spoke up. "Yeah, and I can put thoughts into people's heads. Like, make them do stuff. But don't worry, it, I don't think it works on you guys." He took a few steps up to the porch. "Oh, but get this –- I've been practicing. Training my brain, like meditation. So now, it's not just thoughts I can beam out, but images, too. Like, anything I want. Bam! People, they see it." He turned to Sam. "This one guy I know – total dick, right? I used it on him: gay porn. All hours of the day. It was just like … you should have seen the look on his face." He chuckled a little, but no one followed suit. "Uh…okay."

"So, you go, "Simon says give me your wallet", and they do?" Lily asked the man, who nodded. She turned to Sam. "You have visions? That's great! I'd kill for something like that."

"Lily, listen, it's okay," Sam began.

"No. It's not," Lily snapped. She held up a hand. "I touch people? Their hearts stop. I can barely leave my house. My life's not exactly improved. So, screw you. I just wanna go home." She turned around and began to walk away.

"And what, we don't?" Jake asked.

Lily turned back around, pointing a finger at Jake's face. "You know what, don't talk to me like that, not right-"

"Hey, guys, please," Sam interrupted. "Look, whether we like it or not, we're all here, and so we all have to deal with this."

Emily, who hadn't been able to say a word since she introduced herself, was currently leaning up against the wall, hyperventilating as she stared at her shoes. There was no way this was happening. She was dreaming, that had to be it. Sam freaking Winchester was not standing a few feet away from her. If she was somehow inside the show which, how could she be, then this was probably one of the earlier seasons. Probably one she hadn't watched in a long time. Sam, Jake, Lily, and those two other people who Emily didn't recognize were still talking, wondering who had brought them here. Emily gripped handfuls of her hair. She knew those people. Or, one of them anyway. The girl, she wasn't sure about. But the other man, she knew the actor was Gabriel Tigerman, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out his character's name.

"You okay back there?" Emily snapped back to reality when she heard Sam yell something out. She looked up to see all five people looking back at her with worried looks. She looked between their faces, then took a couple of steps back and started running in the opposite direction.

"Emily!" Sam called after her. "Hey!"

Emily ran inside and into a random room, sinking onto the floor. She couldn't stop shaking, clutching the back of her head as she tried to steady her breathing.

The floorboards creaked. "Emily?" she heard Sam ask again. He knelt beside her. "Listen, everything's going to be okay. We're all gonna get out of here, I promise."

"I have to tell you something, but I don't know if you're going to believe me," Emily whispered, lifting her head just slightly.

"Try me."

"I don't think I should be here," Emily whispered.

"Emily, none of us should be here."

"That's not what I meant," Emily shook her head. "Earlier, outside, you were asking us all if we were twenty three and had abilities that we discovered around a year ago?"

Sam nodded.

"None of those apply to me," Emily admitted. "I'm only seventeen years old. I shouldn't even be here, Sam, and I'm freaking out!"

Sam was silent for a moment. "What about your mom? She's alive?"

"I don't have any parents," Emily admitted, "Been in foster care my whole life."

"That doesn't make any sense though," Sam mused.

"What's going on?" Jake's voice came around the corner as he walked into the room, leading the others.

"Emily here doesn't match any of what I said out there. She's a few years younger than all of us." Sam turned to Emily. "Do you have any abilities?"

"I did," Emily admitted. "When I was little, I was able to move things with my mind, but I lost it a few years ago."

"So then why is she here?" Jake asked.

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "I don't know why any of us are here."

"Who brought us here?" The man (whose name Emily suddenly remembered was Andy) asked.

"It's less of a "who". It's ... more of a "what"." Sam informed them.

"What does that mean?" Ava asked.

Sam paused for a moment. "It's a...it's a demon."

Lily huffed in disgust and turned away.

Sam went on to inform everyone about what was happening. He told them all about monsters and demons. He told them about Azazel, who he referred to as the yellow-eyed demon, and how they had all been chosen to bring on the Apocalypse.

"So, we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocalypse?" Jake asked as he paced back and forth.

"When you put it like that—"

"And, and we've been picked?" Jake continued.

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Why us?"

"I'm not sure, okay?" Sam admitted. "But look, I just know—"

"Sam, I'm sorry," Ava interrupted. "Psychics and spoon-bending is one thing, but demons?"

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but—" Sam began.

Jake interrupted, "It doesn't just sound it."

"I don't really care what you think, okay?" Sam snapped. "If we're all gathered here together, then that means it's starting and that we've gotta—"

"The only thing I've gotta do is stay away from wackjobs, okay?" Jake argued. "I've heard enough. I'm better off on my own. FYI, so are you." With that, Jake walked away.

"Jake, hold on. Jake!" Sam called after him. Jake kept walking and Sam sighed.

* * *

A short while later, the five other group members were walking amongst the houses. Emily and Sam were in the lead.

"You sure you don't have any powers?" Sam questioned.

"Like I said, I did when I was little," Emily told the younger Winchester, "but then one day they just stopped working. I think I still have them, but I one day I woke up and it was like they just stopped working."

"What year were you born?"

"1998."

"But that would make you nine years old."

"I think your math's a bit off there Sam. It's 2016 right now."

"Emily, it's 2007."

Emily stopped in her tracks. "That's not possible. When I went to bed last night, it was June 5th, 2016.

"It's April 29th, 2007 right now."

"That's not possible," Emily repeated.

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard Jake yell at something to get back from a nearby schoolhouse. Sam rushed ahead, the others not far behind. He ran into the schoolhouse and disappeared. The others got to the door just as a cloud of black smoke flew out of the room.

"Just so you know?" Sam addressed everyone. "That was a demon." He led them outside. "Now, that thing – I'm not sure, but I think it was an Acheri. A demon that disguises itself as a little girl. That still doesn't tell us where we are." He looked over at Andy, who still looked to be in shock. "Andy, are you with me or what?"

"Give me a minute," Andy squeaked. "I'm still working through, "Demons are real"."

The group walked further down the road, finally coming up on an iron bell with a picture of an oak tree engraved on it. "I've seen that bell before," Sam mused. "I think I know where we are now: Cold Oak, South Dakota. A town so haunted, every single resident fled."

"Swell," Ava said with fake enthusiasm. "Good to know we're somewhere so historical."

"Why in the world would that demon or whatever put us here?" Lily asked.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Sam admitted.

"You know what?" Lily huffed. "It doesn't matter. Clearly, the only sane thing to do here is to get the hell out of Dodge." She turned and began walking away.

"Wait, hold on," Sam stopped her. "Lily, the only way out is through miles of woods."

"Beats hanging out with demons," Lily countered.

"Lily, look, we don't know what's going on yet," Sam told her. "I mean, we don't even know how many of them are out there right now."

"Yeah, he's right. We should—" Jake began.

Lily turned around, pointing a finger at Jake. "Don't say "we"! I'm not part of "we". I have nothing in common with any of you."

Sam tried to calm her down. "Okay, look, I know—"

"You don't know anything!" Lily snapped. She took a deep breath. "I accidentally touched my girlfriend," she admitted.

No one spoke for several moments. They didn't have to ask what had happened. They already knew. Lily had accidentally killed her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," Sam finally said.

"Whatever. I feel like I'm in a nightmare, and it just keeps getting worse and worse."

"I've lost people, too," Sam told her. "I have a brother out there right now that could be dead, for all I know. We're all in bad shape. But I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together."

"Fine," Lily gave in.

Sam led the group through the town. "We're looking for iron, silver, salt –- any kind of weapon," he told them.

"Salt is a weapon?" Jake asked.

"It's a brave new world," Sam replied.

"Well, hopefully, there's food in your world, because I'm frickin' starving," Andy said as they headed inside one of the buildings.

"Okay, we should split up. Try and find as much salt, iron, or silver as you can find."

Andy headed into the kitchen, while Jake headed into a room past the stairs and Emily herself headed upstairs.

She walked through the rooms upstairs, trying to find anything useful, while fiddling with the anti-possession necklace around her neck.

"You guys! I found something!" Emily heard Andy call from downstairs. She hurried down to meet everyone.

Andy was laughing while holding up two large bags. "Salt!"

"That's great, Andy. Now, we all can…" Sam suddenly stopped, looking around. "Where are Lily and Emily?" He asked.

"I'm right here," Emily spoke from behind Sam on the stairs. "I don't know where Lily is though."

"Lily?" Ava called out.

"Lily!" Sam yelled in a voice that made everyone jump.

A child's giggling voice was heard, and they all headed outside to check it out.

"Oh, my God!" Ava cried. Lily was hanging by a noose on the windmill. "Okay, that's officially... Sam, she's dead! She's dead! You said we were chosen for a reason. That is not chosen! That's killed! Okay, we have to get out of here." She started walking but Sam stopped her

"Yeah, I second that emotion," Andy agreed.

"Not sure that's an option," Jake admitted.

"What?"

"Lily was trying to leave," Sam told her. "The demon's not gonna let us get away that easy. We've gotta gear up for the next attack."

"Oh, gear up?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, I'm not a soldier. I can't do that!" Ava argued.

"Well, if you wanna stay alive, you're gonna have to. Let's go." He turned and walked back to the building.

"I'll get her down," Jake offered.

They stopped in front of the door. Emily headed back inside, while Jake went to find something to get Lily down and Sam stopped to talk with Andy.

She sat on the steps, wondering what to do. A few moments later, Sam and Andy came back inside. Andy looked at her, then back to Sam.

"You sure this'll work?" Andy asked Sam.

"She says she doesn't have any abilities and none of what I was talking about before applies to her. It should."

"Okay." Andy walked up to Emily. "Hey there."

"Hi," Emily said quietly.

"Tell us about yourself." Andy suddenly said.

Emily felt this overwhelming urge to tell them everything. "I'm from Los Angeles, born in 1998. I'm seventeen years old."

"Why do you say you're seventeen if you were born nine years ago?"

"Because for me, it was 2016 yesterday."

"So, what?" Sam asked. "You're from the future?"

Emily nodded. "I think so."

"Tell us more," Andy ordered.

"All of this is a TV show where I'm from," Emily blurted out before she could stop herself.

"What?" Sam asked, stepping forward.

"Tell us about this show."

"It's called Supernatural. It's about Sam Winchester and his older brother Dean traveling around, hunting demons, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and all other types of monsters. There are eleven seasons of it, but this episode is one of the earlier ones that I haven't watched in a long time, so I don't remember what happens in it." The urge suddenly went away and she bent forward, hands on her head. "Andy?" She looked at the man next to her. "Please never do that again."

"Think she was telling the truth?" Sam asked Andy.

"She had to."

"So, let me get this straight," Sam said. "You're from an alternate universe where my and my brother's lives are a TV show?"

"I think so, yeah," Emily admitted. "I still don't know why I'm here, though."

"That's a good question."

* * *

Later that night, Sam, Andy, Jake, Ava, and Emily were together in a small room. Jake was standing by the doorway, palming an iron rod. Andy was asleep at the table, and Sam, Ava, and Emily were sitting, keeping watch. Emily must have been more tired than she thought though, because the next thing she knew, Andy was shaking her awake.

"Ava's missing," Jake informed them.

"Ava?" Emily called out.

"Ava!"

"Okay, Emily and Andy, wait here in case she comes back," Sam instructed. "Jake and I will go look for her."

Sam and Jake headed outside. Emily leaned against the wall, occasionally peering out the window, while Andy leaned out of the doorway.

Emily walked up to join Andy, and a moment later, they heard a creaking sound by the window. The two of them turned and saw Ava, back to them, facing the window.

"Ava!" Andy greeted. "Where were you? Didn't you hear us yelling?"

Ava turned around. "Yeah, I heard you."

Emily suddenly noticed that the salt line was broken. "Ava, what did you do?" she asked.

Without answering, Ava put her hands on her head. A cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared, forming itself into a little girl. It sped towards Andy, and Emily watched in horror as it ripped him up, killing him. Ava turned to her next, putting her head on her hands again. Emily wasted no time running out of the house.

"Sam!" Emily called after the younger Winchester.

"Emily? What's wrong?"

"It's Ava," Emily panted as she caught up to him. "She's controlling the demon. Sam, she killed Andy."

"Jake!" Sam called out. "We found her, let's go!" The three of them hurried back inside. Jake had the iron bar at the ready.

They found Ava inside, standing next to Andy's body. Jake and Emily stayed behind as an element of surprise while Sam headed into the room.

"How could you?" Sam asked angrily.

"I had no choice," Ava admitted. "It's me or them. After a while, it was easy. It was even kind of fun. I just stopped fighting it."

"Fighting what?" Sam asked.

"Who we are, Sam. If you'd just quit your hand-wringing and open yourself up, you have no idea what you can do. The learning curve is so fast, it's crazy, the switches that just flip in your brain." She laughed. "I can't believe I started out just having dreams. Do you know what I can do now?"

"Control demons," Sam guessed.

"Ah, you are quick on the draw. Yeah, I'm sorry, Sam. But, it's over."

There was silence, and Jake moved to the doorway. Emily followed to see a cloud of black smoke forming in the room again. Jake hurried up, and grabbed Ava, snapping her neck and killing her instantly.

The three remaining group members hurried outside.

"I think we can make it out of here now," Sam told them.

"But the Acheri demon…" Jake began.

"No, no, no." Sam stopped him. "Ava was summoning it, controlling it. It shouldn't come back now that she's dead. We gotta go." They continued walking away from the house.

"Not "we", Sam," Jake suddenly said. "Only one of us is getting out of here. I, I'm sorry."

"What?" Sam questioned.

"I had a vision," Jake admitted. "That yellow-eyed demon or whatever it was, he talked to me. He told me how it was."

"No, Jake, listen. You can't listen to him," Sam argued.

"Sam, he's not letting us go," Jake argued. "Only one. Now, if we don't play along, he'll kill us both. Now, I-I like you, man. I do. But do the math here. What good does it do for both of us to die? Now, I can get out of here. I get close to the demon, I can kill the bastard."

"You come with me," Sam offered. "We can kill him together."

"How do I know you won't turn on me?" Jake questioned.

"I won't."

"He won't."

"I don't know that."

As if just realizing she was there, Jake suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Emily by the throat. His hands tightened up as Emily felt it get harder and harder to breathe.

"Jake, let her go!" Sam yelled as he tried to pull the army man off of the small girl.

Emily struggled to break free. "Please," she gasped. Suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

When Emily came to, Sam was in the middle of punching Jake. Jake swung at Sam, and Sam ducked out of the way, causing Jake's fist to go through a wooden railing. Sam punched and kicked Jake while he was stuck, causing him to go down. He finally picked up the iron bar and knocked him out, breathing heavily as he stood over Jake's unconscious body.

Sam looked at Emily, who was still on the ground. "Come on, get up."

"Sam!" A new voice yelled out.

Sam and Emily both turned to see Dean and Bobby racing up, shotguns in hand.

Sam clutched his arm as he and Emily moved towards the other hunters.

"Dean!" Sam sighed in relief.

Suddenly, Dean's face fell. "Sam, look out!" He yelled, rushing forward.

A moment later, Sam grimaced, dropping to his knees.

"No!" Dean broke out into a sprint.

"Sam!" Emily yelled, trying to catch him as he fell.

Ignoring her, Jake took off running into the woods, as Bobby chased after him.

Dean slid onto the ground next to his brother, taking him away from Emily, who backed away. "No, Sam!" Sam fell forward onto Dean's shoulder as Dean tried to keep him conscious. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sam. Sam! Hey! Hey, hey. Come here. Let me look at you."

He placed his hand on the wound, his entire hand covered in blood. "Hey, look at me. It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, all right? Sammy? Sam!"

Sam's head began to wobble as Dean's voice grew louder. "Hey, listen to me. We're gonna patch you up, okay? You'll be good as new. Huh? I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take you care of you. I've got you. That's my job, right? Watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother?" Dean placed a hand on Sam's face and his own face fell. "Sam? Sam! Sam! Sammy!"

Sam's eyes slumped forward, eyes closing. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, God. Oh, God. Sam!"

Bobby ran back, shaking his head to say he wasn't able to catch Jake. He slowed to a stop as his eyes fell to Sam.

"Oh my god."

"Bobby, what am I gonna do?" Dean sobbed.

"Let's get him inside, first off. We can stay here tonight, figure out what we're gonna do in the morning."

Bobby suddenly looked at Emily, who was on the ground, looking terrified, as if just noticing she was there. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ya." The older hunter knelt next to her. "I'm Bobby."

"Emily."

"Why don't you come on inside with us for now? You really shouldn't be out here by yourself in this town."

"Bobby, you can't be serious," Dean argued.

"I am, boy!" Bobby snapped back. Without another word, he picked up Sam's body and headed inside one of the abandoned houses. Emily and Dean followed him inside. Sam was placed on a mattress inside one of the rooms, and Dean immediately went to his side.

They stayed in the abandoned house overnight. Dean refused to leave Sam's side while Bobby and Emily slept on a mattress and couch they had found in other rooms.

* * *

The next morning, Bobby and Emily headed out to get some breakfast.

"So, where you from, girl?" Bobby asked as they drove down the road.

"LA," Emily replied.

"What are you doing in South Dakota?"

"Kinda woke up here a couple of days ago. Along with everyone else."

"Humph," Bobby grunted in response.

They ended up getting a bucket of fried chicken to bring back to the house. When they returned, Dean was standing in the doorway, still watching Sam's body.

"Dean?" Bobby called out as he opened the door. He held up the bucket. "Brought you this back."

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

"You should eat something," Bobby insisted.

Dean walked over to the kitchen table. "I said I'm fine." He picked up a bottle of whiskey and took a swig.

Bobby paused. "Dean... I hate to bring this up, I really do. But don't you think maybe it's time... we bury Sam?"

Dean looked directly at Bobby. "No." He sat down at the table.

"We could," Bobby sighed, "maybe..."

"What?" Dean asked calmly. "Torch his corpse? Not yet."

Bobby leaned forward. "I want you to come with me."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere." He leaned forward against the table.

"Dean, please," Bobby insisted.

"Would you cut me some slack?" Dean snapped.

"I just don't think you should be alone, that's all," Bobby admitted. "I gotta admit, I could use your help."

Dean scoffed.

Bobby continued. "Something big is going down – end-of-the-world big."

Dean suddenly turned back to Bobby. "Well, then let it end!" He yelled.

Bobby stared at Dean for a moment. "You don't mean that."

Dean stood back up, getting in Bobby's face. "You don't think so? Huh? You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, you'd turn around, and get the hell out of here."

Bobby stood there, staring at Dean as the hunter turned away from him.

Dean suddenly turned back around, shoving Bobby back. "Go!" Dean paused for a moment. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sorry. Please, just go."

Bobby sighed. "You know where I'll be." The older hunter turned to Emily. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Uh, yeah," Emily muttered, standing up and following Bobby out to the car.

Bobby and Emily made their way out of the house.

"Sorry 'bout that," Bobby grunted when they were outside. "Just didn't think you should be alone with him when he's like that."

"Thanks," Emily replied. "So, where are we going?"

"Back to my place," Bobby told her as they trudged through the woods. "You can stay with me until we figure out what to do with you."

They finally got to the road, quickly spotting a nearby car. Bobby led her over to it and began to hotwire the vehicle.

"So, how'd you end up here again?" The old hunter asked.

"I don't know," Emily replied. "I went to bed a few nights ago, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in one of the abandoned houses around here. Sam and a few other people were here as well." She shifted around on her feet. "All I know is we were kidnapped by the yellow-eyed demon," she lied.

Bobby didn't say anything else as they got in the car and drove off.'

* * *

They reached Bobby's house in Sioux Falls a few hours later and Bobby led her inside.

"There's a spare bedroom upstairs you can stay in for now," the older hunter informed her. "You'll need to get the mattress on the bed though. You'll have to clear it out too. I'll be in the junkyard if you need me." With that, Bobby headed outside.

Instead of going upstairs to clear out the bedroom, Emily headed to the study and turned on the computer. From there, she began a few Google searches. She typed 'Supernatural' into the search bar, but the only results that came back were for the books from Chuck.

'What the hell?' she thought to herself.

Searches for Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins had no results.

'What the hell is going on?' she thought. Deciding to stop, she turned off the computer and headed upstairs to the spare bedroom. Opening the door, she found a single bed pushed up against the wall. There was a mattress across from it, leaning against the wall. Books lined the walls along with various other items.

Emily sighed. "Guess I better get started."

Within an hour, she had placed the mattress on the bed and cleared out a lot of the stuff on the floor. The books, she had taken downstairs and sorted into the bookcase. She had found sheets, covers, and pillows in a linen closet upstairs. After the room was finished, she flopped herself down on the bed.

"Emily?" Bobby's voice called from downstairs. "You up there?"

"Yeah!" Emily called as she exited the room. "What's up?"

"Come down here a sec."

Emily headed downstairs, closing the door to the spare bedroom behind her. "Hey, Bobby, what's up?"

"So, Sam told you what we do, huh?"

"Yeah." Emily rocked back and forth on her feet. "But I think there's something else you should-"

"I usually don't ask this," Bobby cut her off, "but I could use some help in here. It sure would make things go faster."

"Yeah, sure," Emily said. "What do you need help with?"

"Demonic omens just skyrocketed out of nowhere in Wyoming. Cattle mutilations, strange weather. Could you help me pinpoint all of them?"

"No prob." With that, she grabbed some books and recent newspapers and sat down on the couch.

* * *

Several hours later, they found pretty much everything they could find that might be a demonic omen. Everywhere except southern Wyoming had a mark.

"You find anything for southern Wyoming yet?" Bobby asked.

"Nada," came the reply from the couch.

"You know, you're taking this whole 'demons are real' thing pretty well. Most people usually freak out."

Emily put her book down. "Yeah well, about that. Bobby, I need to tell you I'm actually-"

Before she could continue, there was a knock at the door.

"Hold that thought," Bobby grunted as he went to answer the door.

There was a moment of silence as Bobby left to answer the door, then Dean's voice entered the study. "Hey, Bobby."

Sam's voice followed. "Hey, Bobby."

Emily decided to get up and pretend to see what was going on.

"Sam," Bobby sounded uneasy, "it's good to ... see you up and around."

Sam stepped into the house, patting Bobby on the shoulder. "Yeah ... thanks for patching me up."

"Don't mention it," Bobby muttered.

Dean followed his brother into the house as Bobby stared at him. "Well, Sam's better. And we're back in it now, so... what do you know?"

It wasn't long before Sam spotted Emily. "You're still here?"

"Didn't have anywhere to go." Emily shrugged.

"What is she doing here?" Dean asked, pointing at the brunette.

"She's just here until we can get her back home," Bobby reminded him.

Dean stormed up to the small girl. "Sam told me about you. He said you're from the future, where all of this is some TV show."

Emily looked at Sam. "You told him?"

"Didn't think we would see you again," Sam replied.

"Is that true?" Bobby asked.

Emily sighed. "Yeah. It is. I don't know how I got here, though. All I know is that I went to bed in LA 2016 and woke up in the fictional town of Cold Oak 2007."

"Cold Oak ain't fictional," Bobby grunted.

"It is where I'm from."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Bobby asked.

"I tried to a few times, like just now before Sam and Dean got here," Emily admitted. "But I kept getting cut off."

"I'm not buying it," Dean blurted out.

"Dean-"

"No, Sam! Do you honestly expect me to believe this story?" Dean yelled. "There is no such thing as time travel and alternate universes."

"Andy used his powers on her to make her tell us. She had no choice but to tell the truth."

"Okay fine. Say I do believe this. That means she knows about us right? About our lives?"

"Some stuff, yeah," Emily admitted. "And things that haven't happened yet."

"And we're sure she's human?"

"Yes Dean," Bobby snapped. "We ran all the tests, back at the abandoned house."

"Whatever." Dean moved past everyone into the study.

Sam, Bobby, and Emily followed him in, with Emily lagging behind.

Bobby brought in the map he and Emily had worked on. "Well, Emily and I found something. But I'm not sure what the hell it means."

"What is it?" Sam asked as Bobby set the map down.

"Demonic omens," Bobby replied, "like a frickin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths. Lightning storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere. Here." He pointed to Wyoming. "All around here, except for one place... Southern Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Dean repeated.

"Yeah," Bobby confirmed. "That one area's totally clean – spotless. It's almost as if..." He trailed off.

"What?"

"The demons are surrounding it," Bobby finished.

"But you don't know why?" Dean asked.

"No, and by this point, my eyes are swimming." Bobby pushed the book towards Sam. "Sam, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something I couldn't."

"Yeah, sure."

"Come on, Dean," Bobby gestured. "I got some more books in the truck. Help me lug 'em in."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, following Bobby out of the room.

Once they were gone, Sam turned to Emily. "Hey, sorry about that. I shouldn't have told Dean about you."

Emily shrugged. "They were gonna find out sooner or later. Need any help with that?"

Sam looked at her. "There aren't any in this area are there?"

Emily shook her head reluctantly. "Nope."

"Guess we might as well wait for Dean and Bobby to get back." Sam set the book down. "So, you know a lot about this show?"

Emily nodded. "It's a show about you and Dean. Your hunts, friendships, relationships, etcetera. There are eleven seasons and a lot happens during those eleven, but this is one of the earlier ones. End of season two, I think."

Sam looked at the door. "Did Bobby patch me up?" He asked quietly.

Emily didn't want to lie to Sam, but she also knew Dean wouldn't want her telling him what he had done. Sam would find out from him soon enough anyway. "Yeah," she nodded. "He did."

Sam seemed to sigh in relief and Emily looked down at her shoes.

* * *

A few minutes later, Dean and Bobby came back in, but they were led in by someone else. Ellen.

"Ellen?" Sam asked. "What are you doing here?"

Ellen began to answer, but Bobby held up a hand. He sat Ellen down and poured a glass of water, pushing it towards her.

"Bobby, is this really necessary?" Ellen asked.

"Just a belt of Holy Water," Bobby taunted. "Shouldn't hurt."

Ellen downed the water. "Whiskey now, if you don't mind." She slid the glass back over to Bobby.

"Ellen, what happened? How'd you get out?" Dean asked as Bobby poured her a shot of Whiskey.

"I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else." Ellen scoffed. "But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck." She drank the whiskey and sighed. "Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone for more than fifteen minutes."

"Sorry, Ellen," Sam muttered.

"A lot of good people died in there," Ellen teared up. "And I got to live." She scoffed. "Lucky me."

"Ellen, you mentioned a safe," Bobby recalled.

Ellen nodded. "A hidden safe we keep in the basement."

"Demons get what was in it?"

"No." Ellen took out a map from her pocket, unfolding it and setting it down on the table. There were several black lines and x's on it.

Dean pointed to the lines. "Wyoming. What does that mean?"

"Beats me," Ellen shrugged. She looked up at Emily. "So is anyone gonna tell me who the kid is?"

"This is Emily," Sam replied. "We both got kidnapped by the yellow-eyed demon a few days ago. She's quite a ways from home so Bobby's letting her stay with him for the time being."

"Hmm." Ellen took another drink.

"I'll go see if I can figure out more about this map," Bobby said as he took the map from the table.

* * *

Bobby was pacing around the house, reading through a large book. "I don't believe it," he finally said as he entered the study.

Sam looked up. "What? You got something?"

Bobby set the book down. "A lot more than that," he replied as everyone gathered around the desk. "Each of these x's is an abandoned frontier church— all mid-19th century. And all of them built by Samuel Colt."

"The guy who made the Colt?" Emily asked.

"Yep," Bobby confirmed. "And there's more. He built private railway lines connecting church to church. It just happens to lay out like this." Bobby took out a sharpie and connected the x's on the map until a star was formed.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Dean muttered.

"It's a Devil's Trap," Sam confirmed. "A 100-square mile Devil's Trap."

"That's brilliant," Dean praised. "Iron lines demons can't cross."

"I've never heard of anything that massive," Ellen said in disbelief.

"No one has," Bobby confirmed.

"And after all these years none of the lines are broken?" Dean asked. "I mean, it still works?"

"Definitely," Sam replied.

Dean looked up at his brother. "How do you know?"

"All those omens Bobby and Emily found," Sam responded. "I mean the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."

"Yeah, well... they're trying," Bobby sounded shaken.

"Why?" Ellen asked. "What's inside?"

"That's what I've been looking for," Dean spoke. "And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle." He pointed at the spot on the map.

Sam frowned. "Well, what's so important about a cemetery or," he looked up at Dean, "what's Colt trying to protect?"

"Well, unless-" Dean trailed off.

"Unless what?"

"What if Colt wasn't trying to keep the demons out?" Dean continued. "What if he was trying to keep something in?"

"Now that's a comforting thought," Ellen replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, you think?"

"Could they do it, Bobby? Could they get inside?" Sam asked.

"This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it. No way a full-blood demon gets across," Bobby replied.

"No." Sam paused. "But I know who could."

"Jake," Emily confirmed.

Bobby spun around to face her. "Almost forgot you were there, kid. You've barely said anything."

"That was probably why the yellow-eyed demon wanted one survivor. To get them to cross those tracks."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"If we hurry, we can stop him." Bobby turned to Emily. "You stay here. No offense, but we can't have you getting in the way of this."

"You're seriously just gonna let her stay here?" Dean argued.

"I'll only get in the way," Emily countered.

"She can stay in the car," Dean continued. "But she's sure as hell not staying here."

Bobby grunted. "Fine."

Everyone, sans Emily, packed up their gear and headed out to their cars. Emily rode with Bobby in his truck as he led the way for Sam, Dean, and Ellen in the Impala.

Nearly eleven hours later, they reached their destination. The cars were hidden amongst nearby trees and Emily was given the order to stay put.

"Aye aye," she replied, putting her hand up in a mock salute.

With that, she was left in the dark.

* * *

Emily didn't know what had happened next, but she did know that she woke up back in the spare bedroom at Bobby's. She glanced at the time. It was about 10 in the morning and the sunlight was pouring through the window.

Stretching her arms, the girl stood up and left the room, heading downstairs. Bobby was downstairs in the kitchen, reading through a book. "Mornin' sleepyhead."

"Hey," Emily yawned. "So, what happened last night?"

"That son of a bitch yellow-eyed demon is dead, that's what happened. And the damn door to hell was opened."

"Crap," Emily muttered. "Which means hundreds of more demons are out there."

"Yeah." Bobby closed the book. "So, looks like you might be stuck here a while, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I could sure use the help around this old place. Things would sure go a lot faster with two people. Especially in the junkyard."

"I could help out inside and around outside if you need me to, but I don't know the first thing about cars," Emily admitted. "I don't know how much help I'd be out there."

"I can teach ya," Bobby offered. "And while we're at it. I'll teach you about hunting. I suppose you already know how to kill a lot of the monsters out there from this show, but I also suppose you've never shot a gun or done any real fighting."

"Not really," Emily replied.

"Figured." Bobby stood up. "Breakfast is in the kitchen. I'll be in my study if you need me."

With that, the old hunter picked up his book and headed into the large study behind Emily. Emily sighed as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. This was going to be one wild ride.


	3. The Magificent Seven

**On the highway - May 7th, 2007**

It had been nearly a week since the gate to hell had been opened. Bobby had spent most of that time teaching Emily how to fight and shoot a gun. She already knew how to kill pretty much every type of monster Sam and Dean hunted, so after a quick review, they moved on to things she didn't know, like the actual fighting part. The older hunter had also helped her get new IDs that made it more believable that she was from that time. About five days later, she wasn't exactly ready to start helping out in hunts, but that didn't mean she got to stay at Bobby's place alone either. Bobby had found some demonic omens outside of Lincoln, Nebraska, so they got into the car and headed off to meet Sam and Dean there.

Bobby called Sam from the car. "Hey, Sam." Pause. "Whatcha doing?" Another pause. "You buried in that book again? ...Sam, you want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book." Bobby sighed. "Kid, I wish I knew. So where's your brother?"

"What?" Bobby asked after a moment, confused. "Well, you boys better pack it up. I think I finally found something. There was a crop failure and cicada storm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Might be something up over there. Emily and I will meet you there."

With that, Bobby hung up.

"Kid, you'll probably have to stay in a motel room while we do our jobs in this town. You got your gun, just in case?"

Emily looked down at her pistol. "Yeah, I got it." She sighed. "I don't see why I have to come with if I'm just gonna be getting in the way."

"'Cause I don't trust ya enough to stay at my place by yourself. So, until then, you'll have to tag along for the time being."

* * *

**Outside Lincoln, Nebraska - May 8th, 2007**

They got to the meetup spot early the next morning. Sam and Dean arrived shortly after. Dean got out of the car eating a bacon cheeseburger as they joined Bobby and Emily by Bobby's car.

"So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?" Bobby asked as the brothers approached.

"Well, I sold my soul," Dean said with a burger in his mouth. "Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol." Dean looked over at Emily. "You're still here?"

Emily shrugged. "Seeing as how I don't have anywhere to go..." she trailed off.

"Besides," Bobby said, "it's kinda nice having some company around the place."

"Hmm," Sam nodded. "So, Bobby, what do you think? We got a biblical plague here or what?"

"Well, let's find out." Bobby led them up to the house. "Looks like the swarm's ground zero."

Dean pounded on the door to the farmhouse. "Candygram!"

There was no answer, so Dean picked the lock and let them in.

An eye-watering stench filled Emily's nostrils as they stepped inside.

"Fucking hell," the girl grimaced.

"That's awful," Sam grimaced too as they all covered their noses.

"That so can't be a good sign," Dean remarked.

"Emily, stay close," Bobby ordered.

Dean led them in, followed by Sam, and then Bobby and Emily. Bobby and Emily ducked into another room while Sam and Dean walked further into the house. Eventually, they found themselves in a sitting room with a TV playing and three very dead bodies.

"Oh my god." Emily covered her nose at the stench. Flies buzzed around the corpses sitting on the couch.

"Bobby, what the hell happened here?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Bobby admitted.

"Check for sulfur," Dean instructed.

"Yeah."

* * *

While they were searching for sulfur, a noise was heard outside. Dean whistled, indicating he was going to check it out. He headed for the front door, gun drawn, while the others moved around back.

Bobby was the first to round the corner to the front of the house. "Isaac? Tamara?" he asked.

Looking around the corner, Emily saw Dean on the ground and a couple standing over him. The man was pointing a shotgun at the older Winchester's face.

"Bobby," the woman asked in a British accent when she saw the hunter. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same," Bobby laughed.

"Heya, Bobby," the man greeted, shaking Bobby's hand.

Dean waved his arm in the air. "Hello. Bleeding here."

After a few introductions, the couple led them back to their house. When they arrived, Dean got on the phone to call the coroner about the bodies.

"Jenny!" Dean said over the phone. "That is a beautiful name. That's my sister's name, actually."

"Honey?" Isaac asked, looking around the room. "Where's the Palo Santo?"

"Well, where'd you leave it?" Tamara questioned.

"I don't know, dear. That's why I'm asking," Isaac remarked matter-of-factly.

"Palo Santo?" Sam asked.

"It's holy wood, from Peru. It's toxic to demons like holy water." Tamara began digging around in a bag. "Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them."

She pulled out a wooden stake, handing it to Isaac. "Thank you, dear."

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me."

Sam smiled at the couple. "So, how long you two been married?"

"Eight years this past June," Tamara replied.

Isaac kissed his wife on the forehead. "The family that slays together..."

"Right," Sam chuckled. "I'm with you there. So, how'd you get started?"

No one said anything. Isaac and Tamara looked at each other sadly.

"I, uh, you know... I'm sorry." Sam looked back at Bobby, who shook his head. "It's not – that's none of my business."

"No, no. It's – it's all right."

Dean came back into the room, finishing up his phone call. "Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an ... "appletini'." He made a disgusted face. "Yeah. Call you." He rolled his eyes as he hung up, addressing everyone in the room. "That was the coroner's tech."

"And?"

"Get this – that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up."

"But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away," Bobby pointed out.

"Right," Sam confirmed. "What is this, a demon attack?"

Bobby shrugged. "If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty."

"Well, what now? What should we do?" Dean asked.

"Uh, "we're" not gonna do anything," Isaac cut in.

"What do you mean?" Sam inquired.

"You guys seem nice enough, but, this ain't "Scooby-Doo," and we don't play well with others."

"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together," Sam countered.

"No offense," Isaac argued back, "but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devil's Gate get opened in the first place."

"No offense?" Dean shot back.

"Isaac," Tamara admonished, "like you've never made a mistake."

"Oh yeah, yeah," Isaac nodded. "Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though."

Dean chuckled. "All right. That's enough."

"Guys, this isn't helping. Dean—" Sam muttered.

"Look," Isaac cut Sam off, "there are a couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us – on _all of_ us."

"Okay, that's quite enough testosterone for now." Tamara pulled Isaac out of the room.

"So, now what?" Emily asked, speaking for the first time that night.

"We could camp out here for the night," Bobby suggested.

"Sounds good," Sam agreed. "We should keep watch too. Just in case."

* * *

The next morning, Sam, Dean, and Bobby got word of a murder at a store a few blocks away. Bobby took Emily with him to the store and sent her in to pretend to browse around, while the Winchesters and Bobby questioned the victims.

Emily got a couple of stares as she walked into the store, but she brushed it off as her being a teenager wearing jeans and a t-shirt, walking into a store that she probably couldn't afford anything from.

She was looking at purses that she had no intention of buying when Sam came over to her.

"Hey, so listen, Bobby, Dean and I are gonna go check out the security camera footage. Stay here until we get back, okay?"

"Where would I go?" Emily asked.

"Just stay here, alright?" Sam repeated. "We'll be right back."

"You got it."

Sam left with Bobby, who had returned from questioning the suspect, and Dean to go watch the footage. A few minutes later, Sam walked out of the store alone and Dean and Bobby came up to her.

"So we think we found the guy," Bobby informed her. "We're heading back to Issac and Tamara's place to try and figure out what we can about this guy."

"Sounds good." Emily gave a small smile. "Let's go. Where'd Sam go?"

"He went to go dig up what he could about our suspect," Dean said. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Dean led her to the Impala while Bobby got in his own car and led them back to Issac and Tamara's house.

"So here's what I don't get," Dean spoke up as the two of them drove down the road. "You've been here with us for almost a week right?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"How come we haven't seen any missing persons reports for you?" Dean paused. "I mean, someone's gotta be out there looking for you or something right?"

"Uh, did you forget the fact that I'm not exactly from this world?"

"Okay, let's say for the moment that I don't believe that because I have no reason to-"

"Fair enough."

"Aren't you worried that your parents are worried sick about you?"

Emily sighed. "I guess Sam didn't tell you everything. I've lived in an orphanage my whole life since I was a baby. I don't have any parents to be worried sick about me. So no, I'm not too worried."

"Shit. Sorry, I asked."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to people asking."

"Sam also said you told him you had powers when you were younger."

"Yeah," Emily confirmed, "had. But I lost them a few years ago."

"What were they?"

"Telekinesis."

Dean nodded but didn't say anything.

* * *

They drove back to Issac and Tamara's place. Dean dropped Emily off with Bobby, Isaac, and Tamara and drove off into town to find out who the guy they were looking for was.

"So, Emily," Tamara asked the young girl, "How'd you come about knowing the Winchesters and Bobby?"

"Oh, uh," Emily thought up an answer, "I met Sam about a week ago in Cold Oak. I didn't have anywhere to go afterward, but Bobby let me stay with him. Still don't know why to be honest."

"If it had just been me you had met, I would have left you behind or put you on a bus," Bobby said.

"Gee thanks," Emily muttered.

"But Sam insisted you stay with me until we can get this sorted out, and after a few days, I figured it was actually kinda nice having you around," Bobby continued.

"That's sweet." Tamara smiled. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"Not sure, to be honest," Emily admitted.

"Huh," Tamara nodded but didn't say anything else.

* * *

A few hours later, Dean returned with the news that he knew where the mystery man would be.

"There's a bar downtown he usually drinks at," Dean told Bobby. He turned to Emily. "You're coming with, but stay out of our way."

"Dean-" Bobby began.

"Wouldn't it be better for me to stay here though so I don't get in the way?" Emily questioned.

"Here's the thing, kid," Dean said, "I don't trust you completely yet, so until I do, you're staying where we can keep an eye on you. Got it?"

Emily nodded silently.

* * *

Several hours later, Dean, Bobby, and Emily were sitting in Bobby's car, staking out the bar. Emily was in the backseat while Dean and Bobby were in the front.

Bobby yawned. "What time is it?"

Dean looked at his watch. "Seven past midnight."

"You sure this is the right place?"

Dean let out a huff. "No. But I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guy's stupid mug, and, supposedly, he drinks at this," he gestured the picture of the man towards the bar, "stupid bar."

Suddenly, a loud knock was heard from Dean's window, which caused everyone to jump, and Sam appeared outside, grinning as he opened the door

"That's not funny!" Dean yelled.

"Yeah," was all Sam said as he pushed Dean's seat forward to get into the back with Emily. "Uh, all right, so – so, John Doe's name is Walter Rosen," the younger Winchester informed them. "He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."

"The night the Devil's Gate opened?" Dean asked

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"Do you think he's possessed?"

"Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho or something?"

"Those demons that got out at the gate – they're gonna be able to do all kinds of things we haven't seen."

"You mean the demons we let out," Sam reminded them.

"Guys," Dean interrupted, nodding his head towards something outside.

Everyone looked outside. A red-headed man was getting out of his car and walking towards the bar.

Dean moved to open the door. "All right. Showtime."

Bobby stopped him. "Wait a minute."

Dean looked at the older hunter. "What?"

"What'd I just say?" Bobby snapped. "We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure."

"Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?" Dean argued

"We're no good dead!" Bobby yelled back. "And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is."

"Hey, Bobby?" Sam interrupted. "I don't think that's an option."

"Why not?"

Sam nodded towards another car that had just entered. Everyone looked to see Isaac and Tamara getting out and heading towards the bar.

Bobby hit the steering wheel. "Damn it!"

"Alright," Dean moved again to get out of the car. "Now we go." The older Winchester turned to Emily. "You stay here." He turned to Sam. "Watch her."

"Dean!" Emily and Sam both yelled.

Bobby and Dean got out of the car and gathered guns and holy water, before running up to the door of the bar. Emily watched as they threw themselves on the door, pounding on it as it held shut.

* * *

A few moments later, they came rushing back to the car and quickly got in.

"Get down!" Bobby yelled as he sped the car straight through the front of the bar.

Sam, Dean, and Bobby quickly got out and began frantically splashing holy water on the demons. Tamara began frantically screaming for Isaac, who was dead on the ground with blood and drain cleaner coming out of his mouth.

Sam grabbed Tamara and began pulling her towards the car. "Come on, we got to go!" He yelled. "He's dead! Get in the car!"

Bobby and Dean were still splashing the demons with holy water as Sam and Tamara crammed into the backseat with Emily. Bobby quickly followed and got into the driver's seat, but Dean was still fighting the demons.

"Dean, come on!" Sam yelled as Bobby closed the driver's side door. Dean ignored him. "DEAN! COME ON!"

Dean opened the trunk of the car and tried splashing the red-headed demon with holy water again, only to find that he'd run out. The demon laughed maniacally and Dean hit him with the water bottle, knocking him into the trunk and slamming it closed.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" Dean yelled frantically as he quickly got into the car. Bobby quickly sped off, away from the bar as the rest of the demons watched on.

Tamara yelled for Bobby to turn the car around and go back to the bar the entire drive back.

"We're not going back!" Bobby argued as he continued to speed towards the house.

"My husband is there!" Tamara argued.

"Yeah, and he's dead!" Bobby snapped.

Bobby quickly sped the car up the driveway and stopped the car. Sam grabbed Tamara and fought to get her inside as she struggled to get back into the car. Dean and Bobby quickly got the demon out of the car and shoved him inside, tying him up in a chair under a demon trap.

Emily quickly followed them inside.

"... And I say we're going back – now!" Tamara was shouting at Sam as Emily walked inside. Bobby was standing near the bookshelf, flipping through a large book.

"Just hold on a second!" Sam tried to calm her down.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!"

"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back," Sam argued.

"Fine," Tamara huffed. "Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar."

Dean started walking with Tamara to the front door. "I'll go with her."

"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam yelled after his brother.

"So what? I'm dead already!" Dean turned towards his brother.

"How are you gonna kill 'em?" Sam asked angrily. "Can't shoot 'em. You can't stab 'em. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!"

"I don't care!" Tamara bellowed.

"We don't even know how many of them there are!" Sam yelled back.

Bobby walked up to them, holding the book. "Yeah, we do. There's seven." He looked back and forth between the hunters, gritting his teeth. "Do you have any idea who we're up against?"

Dean shook his head in annoyance. "No. Who?"

Bobby huffed. "The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh!"

No one said anything, but Dean grinned. "What's in the box?!" He chuckled.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Brad Pitt?" Dean asked. ""Seven"? No?"

Bobby angrily tossed Dean the book that was in his hands.

"What's this?"

"'Binsfeld's Classification of Demons.'," Bobby informed him. "In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins – not just as human vices but as actual devils."

"The family," Sam realized, "they were touched by Sloth. And the shopper...

"That's Envy's doing," Bobby continued, "the customer we got in the next room. I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony."

"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops!" Tamara snapped. "I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!"

"We already did it your way," Bobby argued back, advancing on the woman. "You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened! These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, Dark Ages! We've never faced anything close to this! So we are gonna take a breath," Bobby took a deep breath before bellowing his next line, "And figure out what our next move is!"

No one said anything as Bobby and Tamara stared at each other. "I am sorry for your loss," Bobby said quietly.

Tamara walked out of the room without another word. After a moment, everyone else followed her into the room where Envy was still tied up.

"So you know who I am, huh?" The demon laughed.

"We do," Bobby replied. "We're not impressed."

"Why are you here?" Sam questioned. "What are you after?"

Envy didn't respond.

"He asked you a question," Dean snapped. "What do you want?"

Envy chuckled and Dean splashed his face with holy water.

"Ya! Ahh!" Envy groaned in pain as his face sizzled. "We already have," he panted, "what we want."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"We're out," Envy chuckled. "We're free. Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am Legion, for we are many." He chuckled. "So, me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun."

"Fun?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Fun," Envy repeated. "See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides ... on their outside."

Tamara stepped forward. "I'm gonna put you down like a dog."

"Please," Envy laughed. "You really think you're better than me." The demon looked around. "Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a, a walking billboard of gluttony and lust. And Tamara. All that wrath. Oooh," he clicked his tongue. "It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it? It's so much easier to drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago."

Tamara rushed forward and hit Envy across the face with the book Bobby had earlier.

"Aah! Whew!" Envy laughed. He stopped as his eyes fell on Emily, who was standing behind the group. "And you, little Amelia. Or actually, is it Emily, now?"

Emily stepped forward, next to Bobby, "What?"

"Amon always did wonder what happened to that sweet little baby girl who suddenly disappeared without a trace as he killed her mother and father. He told us stories about how "a yellow ring appeared on the ground and the baby just fell in"." He chuckled. "Looks like you found your way back, after all, still longing after all these years for your mommy and daddy."

"You got the wrong person," Emily told him. Bobby stopped her from saying anything else.

"He's just trying to get inside your head."

Envy looked around the room. "We're not sins, man. We are a natural human instinct. And you can repress and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny, greedy, hungry, violent animals. And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals, too." He paused. "The others – they're coming for me."

"Maybe," Dean confirmed. "But they're not gonna find you, 'cause you'll be in hell."

The grin on Envy's face slowly faded.

"Someone send this clown packing," Dean said as he walked out of the room.

"My pleasure," Tamara offered as Bobby handed her a book. She began reading. " _Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica_ ," she continued reading as the rest of the group left the room.

"I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them," Bobby told Sam, Dean, and Emily as they stood in the study.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"I think maybe this joker's right," he nodded towards the demon holding room. "They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy."

"You guys, why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills?" Dean suggested. "I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time."

"You're insane, Dean," Sam argued. "Just forget about it, okay?"

"Sam's right," Bobby confirmed.

"There's _six_ of them, guys," Dean snapped. "We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We've got five people here but only four of us actually know how to fight these things. "We'll be dead by dawn."

"Maybe," Bobby nodded, "but there's no place to run that they won't find us."

"Look, if we're going down, we're going down together, all right?" Sam asked his brother.

Dean sighed. "Well let's not make it easy for them."

The house gave a violent shake as a gust of wind blew out the candles. Tamara slammed the book shut as she walked out of the room.

"Demon's out of the guy," she informed the hunters.

"And the guy?" Sam asked

"He didn't make it," Tamara replied coldly as she walked past the hunters.

* * *

Later that night, Dean was seated on the floor loading a shotgun, while Sam filled flasks with holy water. Bobby was helping Emily load her gun, in case she needed it, when the lights began to flicker. The radio began playing "We Shall Not Be Moved."

Dean cocked his shotgun and stood up. "Here we go."

Sam and Dean peered out the window as the radio continued playing.

"Stay close to me," Bobby ordered Emily. "Only shoot if you absolutely have to." He led her to the window where Tamara was.

"Tamara!" Isaac's voice could be heard yelling from outside. "Tamara! Tamara! Tamara! Help me! Please!" Tamara looked at Bobby in anguish. "Tamara! I got away, but I'm hurt bad! I need help!"

"It's not him," Bobby muttered to Tamara, who nodded. "It's one of those demons. It's possessing his corpse."

The demon pounded on the door. "Baby! Why won't you let me in? You left me behind back there. How could you do that? We swore, at that lake in Michigan. Remember? We swore we would never leave each other!

Tamara turned towards Bobby, sobbing. "How did he know that?"

"Steady, Tamara. Steady, Tamara, steady, steady," Bobby quieted her as he rubbed a hand on her shoulder.

"You just gonna leave me out here?" The demon continued. "You just gonna let me die?!" His voiced turned menacing. "I guess that's what you do, dear! Like that night those things came to our house. Came for our daughter! You just let her die, too."

"You son of a bitch!" Tamara screamed as she threw open the front door, breaking the salt line and tackling the demon down the steps.

"Tamara, no!"

"You're not Isaac!" Tamara yelled as she raised the Palo Santo stake and plunged it into his chest. The demon screamed.

The other demons walked inside, over the broken salt line. Four of them ran up the stairs after Sam and Dean, but an overweight, balding man went after Bobby and Emily. Bobby pushed Emily back as the demon began advancing on them. Just as Bobby and Emily were backed into the wall, the demon stopped, as if caught behind an invisible wall. Bobby grinned and looked up. The demon followed his eyes to see a devil's trap on the ceiling above him. He looked at Bobby, pleading, but Bobby just smiled.

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son," Bobby taunted. " _Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo Draco maledicte, ut ecclesiam Tuam secura, Tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos_!"

Fighting could be heard from Sam and Dean upstairs as they fought the other demons. Bobby and Emily stayed downstairs to stop any more demons and after a few minutes, Sam and Dean came down.

"Did either of you see a girl come through here?"

Blonde?" Emily asked. "Had a knife that killed the demons?"

Sam looked at her in shock for a moment but nodded.

"Her name's Ruby," she told the hunter. "Don't trust her."

Sam didn't say anything else as Sam and Dean stared at each other, then looked back at Emily.

Nobody slept that night as they waited anxiously for any more demons to show up.

"You alright, kid?" Bobby asked Emily, who was sitting by the window and had barely said a word all night.

"Yeah, I'm just-" Emily trailed off.

"Just what?" Bobby asked.

"What that demon, Envy, said earlier, about my parents. I mean, what if-"

Bobby cut her off. "He was just trying to get inside your head. What he was saying, it's impossible."

"But what if it isn't?" Emily asked, getting the attention of the other hunters. "It's pretty obvious parallel universes exist since I'm here. I know absolutely nothing about my past. I don't even know my real name. Not the one my parents gave me anyway. Emily is the name my foster mother gave me when she found me, but it's not the one I was given when I was born, and the birthday I have is the day she found me. It's two months away, but I should technically already be eighteen years old right now because I was already a few months old when I was left at the foster home, not a newborn. Everything I know about myself is a lie. Ms. Claudwell, my foster mother, let me take a DNA test when I got older so I could learn more about my past, and you know what we found? Nothing. No record anywhere that I ever existed."

"Well, there's no way in hell you were pulled to an alternate universe as a baby," Dean told her.

"Dean's right," Bobby agreed. "Even if that were possible, there's no way you could have survived."

Emily didn't respond and went back to staring out the window.

* * *

The next morning, Sam and Dean dragged the bodies of the demons that didn't survive outside and lay them in a shallow pit, dousing them in salt and gasoline. Tamara, on the other hand, build a pyre for Isaac's body and stood off to the side, watching the fire burn.

Bobby and Emily walked up to Sam and Dean as they dropped the canisters of salt and fuel.

"Well, you look like hell warmed over," Dean told Bobby.

"You try exorcising all night and see how you feel," Bobby snapped.

"Any survivors, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Well, the pretty girl and the heavy guy, they'll make it," Bobby informed them. "Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still..."

"That's more than you can say for these poor bastards." Dean took out a box of matches.

"Bobby, that knife," Sam started, "What kind of blade can kill a demon?"

Bobby sighed. "Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing."

Dean turned towards Sam. "I'm just gonna ask it again – who was that masked chick?" He stopped Sam before he could answer. "Actually, the more troubling question would be, how come a girl can fight better than you?"

Sam chuckled. "Three demons, Dean. At once."

Dean slapped Sam on the shoulder. "Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you."

"What's that?"

"If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?" Sam asked.

Nobody said a word as they looked at the bodies in the pit. Dean lit a matchbook. "You're right. That is troubling," he finally said as he tossed it into the pit. The bodies lit up as everyone watched on.

Dean turned to Emily. "You really planning on staying?"

"I will if you guys let me," Emily replied.

Dean nodded. "Well then, you've got a lot to learn. We can't just have you tag along and hang out while we do all the work. We'll teach you how to fight properly, so you can be ready."

"Are you sure, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

* * *

Once the fires had settled down, Tamara packed a bag and headed towards her car, passing the others. "See you gents around," she said, barely looking at them.

"Tamara?" Bobby asked, stopping her. Tamara stopped but didn't turn around. "The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful."

Tamara turned to face the older hunter. "You too." She got into her car and drove off.

"Keep your eyes peeled for omens," Bobby told the boys. "I'll do the same."

"You got it."

Bobby and Emily started to walk away, but Sam stopped the older hunter. "Wait, Bobby. We can win this war. Right?"

Bobby paused, not answering the question. Without a word, Sam and Dean looked at each other, then back at Bobby, and nodded. "Catch you on the next one."

Bobby led Emily to his car and the two of them got in and drove away.


	4. Dream a Little Dream of Me

**Aviary Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania**

**January 7th, 2008**

Eight months. That was how long Emily had been in this universe, eight months. During that time, she had gotten herself a small job to make a little extra money on the side, had officially settled into living with Bobby, and had become a pretty good fighter. Once Bobby thought she was ready, she even started going on hunts with him. Emily had barely seen Sam and Dean during that time. They had called a few times to ask something about a monster they were hunting, but it had been a while since she had seen them.

At the moment, Bobby and Emily were in Pittsburgh, hunting something that killed a local doctor who had gone to sleep and hadn't woken up. They had arrived at the motel early in the morning, and Bobby had left to go ask around about the doctor, leaving Emily in the hotel room by herself to do some research.

"Find anything while I was out?" Bobby asked.

"Only that the doctor's name was Walter Gregg, he was 64 and a university neurologist who was researching sleep studies using a plant called African Dream Root, also known as Silene Capensis. What about you?"

"Apparently this Walter Gregg was researching Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome, which prevents dreams. I spoke to one of his patients, named Jeremy Frost. Told me he dropped out of the study because it scared him."

"Jeremy Frost?" Emily asked.

Bobby nodded.

"Huh," the girl said, leaning back in her seat. "That name sounds familiar for some reason."

Emily helped Bobby put together a poster board of all the research they had found. By the time they had finished, it was getting late, so they decided to call it a night.

* * *

**January 8th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily woke up before Bobby. She left him a note on the dresser and then left the room to go get breakfast. After getting herself a bagel and coffee, she headed back to the room. When she approached, however, she found the door was wide open. Quickly running inside, she found several hotel workers inside the room, desperately trying to wake Bobby up.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, running inside. "Bobby?"

"Are you with this man?" One of the workers asked her.

"Yeah, we just got here yesterday."

"Don't worry, we've called an ambulance, they're on their way. Your father's going to be fine."

Emily didn't think it would be very appropriate to correct the worker on the fact that Bobby wasn't her father, so just looked over at the still sleeping Bobby, worriedly.

"What's going on?"

"He's not waking up," was the only answer she received.

It wasn't long before the ambulance arrived. They loaded Bobby into the back and Emily drove Bobby's car behind the ambulance to the hospital. Emily called Dean from the car and told him what had happened.

* * *

**January 9th, 2008**

Sam and Dean met Emily at the hospital the next day after driving all night. Emily had stayed overnight with Bobby in the hospital room and was woken up by the sound of running footsteps entering the room.

"What happened?" Dean asked as they ran in.

"I'm not sure," Emily told the Winchester. "Bobby and I were working a case. When I woke up this morning, Bobby was still sleeping, so I left to go get breakfast, and when I got back, he was surrounded by hotel workers trying to wake him up."

"You must be Mr. Snyderson, I presume?" A doctor asked Dean as he approached.

"Uh, yeah, that's me," Dean replied.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" Sam asked.

The doctor sighed, looking at his clipboard. "We've tested everything we can think to test. He seems perfectly healthy."

"Except that he's comatose," Dean snapped.

"Mr. Snyderson, you're his emergency contact. Anything we should know?" The doctor asked. "Any illnesses?"

"No, he-he never gets sick. I mean, he doesn't even catch a cold," Dean stammered.

"Doctor, is there anything you can do?" Sam asked.

The doctor sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it... so we don't know how to treat it. He just... went to sleep, and didn't wake up." With that, the doctor gave a small smile and left.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Emily stayed with Bobby a little longer before heading back to Bobby and Emily's hotel room.

"So, what were you guys doing in Pittsburgh?" Sam asked Emily as they entered the room.

"As I said earlier, we were working a case. A doctor here was researching sleep studies but he died in his sleep. Just lied down and never got back up." She opened the closet and pulled out the poster board with all their research on it. "This is all we were able to find. We didn't get very far before..."

Sam put the board on the table. "You make heads or tails of any of this?" He asked Dean.

"Silene capensis"," Dean read off one of the papers, "which of course means absolutely nothing to me."

"It's African Dream Root. Legend says it's used for dream walking," Emily recalled. "The doctor that died was using it in his studies."

"All right," Sam began, "So you and Bobby were looking into the doc's death. Hunting after something-"

Dean looked up. "That started hunting you guys."

"But then, how come Bobby got affected and you didn't?" Sam asked.

"Bobby went out yesterday to question some people about the doctor while I stayed here to do some research," Emily informed them. "Maybe something happened while he was out."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"All right, you two stay here," Dean instructed. "See if you can find out any new information."

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna look into the good doctor myself," Dean said as he walked out the door.

* * *

Sam and Emily spent the next few hours doing research on the doctor and his studies.

"So what have you guys been doing these past few months?" Sam asked

"Not much, to be honest," Emily shrugged. "I got myself a job in town and Bobby taught me how to hunt. I've been helping him on cases a lot recently too."

"Cool," came the reply. "You know, if you want, maybe you could tag along with us on our next few hunts."

Emily closed her laptop. "Really? You think Dean would be okay with it?"

"It might take him some time to warm up to the idea, but I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

* * *

A few hours later, Sam and Emily met Dean at the hospital. Dean was sitting by Bobby's bed, with his back to the door, as they entered. He turned around as the two of them entered the room.

"How is he?" Sam asked.

Dean turned back to Bobby as Sam and Emily entered the room. "No change. What did you guys get?" He asked as he stood up and joined them at the foot of the bed.

"Well, considering what Emily told us about the doc's experiments Bobby's wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense."

"How so?"

Sam held up a file. "The plant Emily told us about, the African Dream Root, it's been used by Shaman and medicine men for centuries."

"Let me guess. They dose up, bust out the didgeridoos, start kicking around the hackey," Dean guessed.

Sam shook his head. "Not quite. If you believe the legends, it's used for dream walking. I mean, entering another person's dreams, poking around in their heads."

"Which I'm guessing is what happened to Bobby," Emily chimed in.

"I take it we believe the legends?" Dean asked.

Sam scoffed. "When don't we? But dream walking is just the tip of the iceberg."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this Dream Root is some serious mojo. You take enough of it, with practice, you can become a regular Freddy Krueger," Sam read from one of the files. "You can control anything. You could turn bad dreams good, you could turn good dreams bad."

"And killing people in their sleep?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded, "For example."

Dean sighed.

"So let's say uh, let's say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Tim Leary-style."

"Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit, he goes nighty-night," Dean continued.

"But what about Bobby?" Sam asked. "I mean, if the killer came after him, how come he's still alive?"

"I don't know."

The Winchesters and Emily walked down the hall of the hospital. "So how do we find our homicidal sandman?" Dean asked.

"Could be anyone," Sam told him.

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Dean turned to Emily. "Any ideas?"

Emily shrugged. "Maybe one of his test subjects?"

Dean stopped Sam. "Someone who knew the doctor; had access to his dream shrooms."

Sam shifted in his spot. "It's possible."

"But his research was pretty sketchy," Dean continued. "I mean.. I don't know how many subjects he had, or who all of them were."

Sam scoffed. "What?" Dean asked.

"In any other case, we'd be calling Bobby and asking him for help right now."

Dean looked up at his brother, an idea forming in his face. "You know what? You're right."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Let's go talk to him," Dean suggested.

"Sure," Sam laughed. "I think we might find the conversation a bit one-sided."

"Unless we're using the Dream Root," Emily realized.

"Exactly," Dean confirmed.

"What?" Sam asked. "You wanna go dream walking inside Bobby's head?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Dean asked. "Maybe we could help."

"We have no idea what's crawling around in there."

"Well, how bad could it be" Dean asked.

"Bad."

Dean scoffed. "Dude, it's Bobby."

Sam thought about it for a second. "Yeah, you're right," he finally said. "One problem though. We're fresh out of African Dream Root, so unless you know someone who can score some."

"Crap," Dean scoffed.

"What?"

"Bela."

"Bela?" Sam scoffed as well. "Crap."

"Oh God," Emily rolled her eyes. "I never liked her."

"You're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?" Sam asked.

"I'm feeling dirty just thinking about it, but yeah," Dean said as he started walking again. After a moment, Sam and Emily started walking after him.

Emily left Bobby's car in the hospital parking lot and rode back to the hotel in the Impala with the Winchesters.

* * *

**January 10th, 2008**

It was just after midnight when they got back to the hotel. Sam ended up crashing at the desk not long after they got back to the room.

"Let me guess," Emily spoke as Dean walked into the room after calling Bela, "no luck?"

"Nope." Dean sighed. "See if you can help me go through these notes, yeah?"

Emily nodded. "Sure thing."

* * *

Dean and Emily spent the next hour going through the doctor's notes, which proved to be difficult because the doctor's handwriting was terrible and Sam was still sleeping at the desk, making a lot of what Dean would call 'happy noises'.

"Sam!" Dean finally yelled out to his brother. "Sam wake up!"

Sam jolted awake, wiping the drool off his hand.

"Dude, you were out," Dean informed his brother. "And making some seriously happy noises."

Sam shifted in his seat but didn't turn around.

"Who were you dreaming about?" Dean asked.

"What?" Sam asked, still not turning around. "No one. Nothing."

"C'mon, you can tell me," Dean joked. "Angelina Jolie?"

"No," Sam replied.

"Brad Pitt?"

Sam finally turned around. "No. No! Dude, it doesn't matter."

Dean sighed. "Whatever. "I called Bela."

"Bela? Yeah? She- What'd she.. you know, say?" Sam asked awkwardly. "She.. gonna.. help us?"

"Shockingly, no, which puts us back to square one. Emily and I have been trying to decipher the doctor's notes." Dean sighed. "Unfortunately, he has worse handwriting than you do."

Sam didn't move from his seat.

"You gonna come help us with this stuff?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam groaned. "Just give me a sec."

A loud knock came from the door and Dean got up to answer it. He opened the door an inch and peered out, then looked back at Sam, annoyed.

"Bela," Dean said in a fake cheery voice while opening the door. "As I live and breathe."

A woman with long brown hair entered the room, wearing a black trenchcoat. Sam looked visibly uncomfortable.

"You called me. Remember?" Bela asked.

"I remember you turning me down," Dean recalled as he closed the door.

"Well, I'm just full of surprises." Bela turned to Emily, who was still sitting at the table.

"Emily, I presume?" Bela asked the girl.

"Yeah, that's me," Emily replied.

"The Winchesters have told me a lot about you."

"Nothing too bad, I hope."

"Not at all."

"Why are you here, Bela?" Sam asked, still sitting in the chair.

Bela took a jar out of her bag. "I brought you your African Dream Root." She handed the jar to Dean. "Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by." Bela put her bag on top of the TV and began taking off her coat.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Dean questioned.

"What? I can't do you a little favor every now and again?" Bela took off her coat, revealing a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath.

"No. You can't," Dean shook his head. "Come on, I wanna know what the strings are before you attach them."

"You said this was for Bobby Singer, right?" Bela questioned.

Dean nodded.

"Well, I'm doing it for him. Not you."

"Bobby? Why?"

"He saved my life once. In Flagstaff," Bela responded.

Dean gave her a look but didn't say anything.

"I screwed up and he saved me, okay?" Bela finally said. "You satisfied?"

Dean shrugged. "Maybe."

"So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?" Bela asked.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Dean said as he put the jar in the safe with the colt. "I don't trust you enough to let you in my car, much less Bobby's head. No offense."

"None taken," Bela sneered. "It's 2 am. Where am I supposed to go?"

Dean led her to the door. "Get a room. Ah, they got the Magic Fingers, a little Casa Erotica on pay-per-view. You'll love it."

"You..." Bela snarled as she grabbed her bag and coat, walking out of the room.

Sam jumped out of his chair. "Nice to see-... Seeing you..." he stammered as Bela slammed the door, "... Bela."

Dean gave his brother a weird look.

"Dude, what was that all about?" Emily asked.

"No-nothing," Sam replied quickly. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, we doing this then?"

"Yeah," Dean said. He looked at Emily. "She coming with?"

"Maybe she can help," Sam suggested. "She's spent a lot of time with Bobby these past few months."

Sam made three glasses of tea with Dream Root, handing one to Dean, one to Emily, and keeping one for himself. The three of them sat on the edge of the beds, looking down at the glasses.

"Uh, should we dim the lights and synch up Wizard of Oz to Dark Side of the Moon?" Dean asked as he swirled the drink around.

"Why?" Sam asked.

Dean looked disappointed. "What did you do during college?" He went to drink the dream root, but Sam stopped him.

"Wait, wait, wait. Whew. Can't forget this," Sam said as he took an envelope out of his shirt pocket. He pulled something out, handing some to Dean and some more to Emily.

Emily took what Sam was handing her. "Oh God, I remember this. You have to drink some of whoever's dream you want to enter."

"Yeah, exactly," Sam confirmed.

Dean looked disgusted as he put the hair in the drink. "Last chance to back out," he told Emily.

The girl shook her head. "I'm going with you guys."

Sam and Emily put the hair in their drinks as well and all three of them took a deep breath.

"Bottoms up," Dean said as he raised his glass.

"Yeah."

The three hunters clinked their glasses and downed the drink. The taste was enough to make Emily's eyes water and almost throw it back up, but she managed to down the entire drink.

"Feel anything?" Dean asked after a moment.

"No. You feel anything?" Sam asked

Dean shook his head. "No."

"Yeah, me either," Emily chimed in.

Dean looked inside his glass. "Maybe we got some bad shwag."

Thunder and rain could suddenly be heard from outside. Sam looked over at the window. "Hey, when did it start raining?"

Dean got up and pulled back the curtains. "When did it start raining upside down?" He asked as he turned back to Sam. The colors of the hotel walls faded away as the walls changed from the hotel room to that of a living room.

"Okay," Dean said, looking around, "I don't know what's weirder – the fact that we're in Bobby's head ... or that he's dreaming of _Better Homes and Gardens._ "

Sam held out a hand to get Dean's attention. "Wait. Wait a sec. Imagine the place, uh, without the paint job," he started gesturing to everything around them, "More cluttered, dusty, books all over the place."

"It's Bobby's house," Dean realized.

"Yeah," Sam laughed.

"But where's Bobby?"

"Bobby?!" Dean called out quietly, walking around the room.

Sam walked towards the hallway. "Bobby?" He called up the stairs. He turned back to his older brother. "Dean?"

Dean turned around.

"I'm gonna go look outside."

"No, no, no, stay close," Dean whispered.

"Dude, I'll be fine," Sam argued. "Just, look around in here." At Dean's hesitation, he added, "Look, we gotta find him."

"Don't do anything stupid," Dean finally relented.

Sam nodded and walked down the hall.

.

"Stay close to me," Dean instructed Emily. He led her to the kitchen door opening them up and leading her through the room. "Bobby?"

They walked through the kitchen and into the hallway where there were two doors, one in front of them and one on the left.

"Bobby!"

A noise could be heard and Dean quickly looked down the hall to see what it was, only to find nothing there.

"Who's out there?" Bobby's scared voice could be heard from the door on their left.

Dean and Emily walked to the door that Bobby's voice came from. Long scratch marks were running down the wood. "Bobby, you in there?" Dean asked.

"Dean?"

"Yeah. It's me. Open up."

Bobby opened the door but moved past Dean looking into the kitchen fearfully. "How in the hell did you find me?" The older hunter asked.

"Sam, Emily and I got our hands on some of that Dream Root stuff."

"Dream Root? What?"

"Remember Bobby? Dr. Gregg, the experiments?" Emily asked. "You and I were working that case in Pittsburgh?"

Bobby was still looking fearfully around the room. "What the hell are you talking about?" The lights in the room began to flicker. "Hurry," Bobby said as he quickly ran back to the closet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean said frantically as he stopped Bobby, turning him around. "What's going on?"

"She's coming."

"Okay, you know this is a dream, don't you?"

"What are you, crazy?" Bobby asked, terrified.

"He's right Bobby! None of this is real."

The door on the other end of the hallway opened up and Bobby pointed down the hall. "Does that look made-up?"

At the end of the hall, a woman was coming down the hallway. She had wounds on her neck and chest, that were dripping blood on to a white dress.

"Bobby, who is that?" Dean asked.

Bobby had tears in his eyes now. "She's... She's my wife," he replied.

"Why Bobby?" The woman asked. "Why did you do this to me?"

Bobby began backing up into the kitchen. "I'd have rather died myself than hurt you."

"But you did hurt me. You shoved that knife into me," Karen told Bobby. Her voice got angrier with each word. "Again and again. You watched me bleed. Watched me die."

Dean grabbed Bobby from behind. "Bobby, she's not real."

Bobby ignored Dean.

"How could you?" Karen asked.

Bobby looked like he was on the verge of tears. "You were possessed, baby. You were rabid. And I didn't know what I know now. I didn't know how to save you."

"You're lying. You wanted me dead!" Karen screamed. "If you loved me, you would've found a way!"

"I'm sorry," Bobby sobbed.

"Bobby please!" Emily tried desperately. "None of this is real. You can make her go away!"

"Come on!" Dean yelled, dragging Bobby and Emily into the living room. He slid the doors closed as Karen began running towards them, slamming them in her face.

Dean leaned against the doors, holding them closed. "I'm telling you, all of it," the Winchester yelled at Bobby. "Your house, your wife, it's a nightmare!" He grabbed a wire and tied the door handles together.

"I killed her," Bobby sobbed.

"Bobby! This is your dream. And you can wake up. I mean, hell, you can do anything."

"Just leave me alone. Let her kill me already," Bobby despaired.

"Nobody is going to kill you Bobby, but you need to wake up!" Emily tried.

Dean grabbed Bobby forcefully and spun him around to look him in the eye. "Look at me," he shouted over the loud banging on the door. "Look at me. You gotta snap out of this now.

You're not gonna die. I'm not gonna let you die. You're like a father to me. You gotta believe me, please."

Bobby looked back and forth between Dean, Emily, and the door Karen was banging on. "I'm dreaming?" He finally asked.

"Yes!" Emily practically screamed.

"Now take control of it!" Dean instructed.

Bobby looked at the door and closed his eyes tightly. All of a sudden, the banging on the doors stopped. Dean removed the wire and slid the doors open, revealing an empty kitchen.

"I don't believe it," Bobby gasped.

"Believe it," Dean panted. "Now would you please wake up?"

A moment later, Emily found herself sitting up on the hotel bed next to Sam and Dean.

* * *

**January 11th, 2008**

The next morning, Dean got a call on his cell. It was the hospital telling him that Bobby had woken up, so they all piled into the Impala and headed down to meet him.

"Hey Bobby," Sam said as they entered the room. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, considering," Bobby replied.

Sam nodded, then set down the files he had brought with him and left to go search Jeremy's apartment.

While Sam was gone, Bobby started going through the paperwork.

"Hey, Bobby. That, uh... That stuff, all that stuff with your wife?" Dean asked. Bobby looked over at him. "That actually happen?"

Bobby nodded sadly. "Everybody got into hunting somehow."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost in there. Or dead." There was a pause as Bobby looked up at Dean. "Thank you."

A moment later, Sam reentered the room. "So, uh, stoner boy wasn't in his dorm," he announced. "My guess is he's long gone by now."

"He ain't much of a stoner," Bobby informed them, picking up a picture of Jeremy.

"No?" Dean asked.

"No. His name's Jeremy Frost. Full-on genius. Hundred-and-sixty IQ. Which is sayin' some, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head." He threw the paper down on the tray and picked up another one, handing it to Sam. "Here's Father of the Year."

Sam looked at the picture for a moment before setting it down as well.

"He died before Jeremy was 10," Bobby continued.

"Looks like a real sweetheart," Sam scoffed.

"Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand. He hasn't dreamt since."

"Until he started using the dream root," Emily realized. "I knew I had heard his name somewhere. I just wish I had figured it out before this happened. Sorry, Bobby."

"It ain't your fault, kid."

"How'd he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at you?" Dean asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Hey, he was rooting around in my skull. God knows what he saw in there."

"Yeah. How'd he get in there in the first place?" Sam asked. "Isn't he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA, or something?"

"Yeah."

Bobby sighed. "Yeah. 'Fore I knew it was him, he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest friggin thing."

"Oh, I don't know," Dean laughed awkwardly. "It wasn't that dumb."

"Dean, you didn't," Sam scoffed at his brother.

"I was thirsty," Dean admitted.

"That's great," Sam yelled. "Now he can come after either one of you."

"Well, now we just have to find him first," Dean replied.

"We better work fast," Bobby sighed, "and coffee up. Because the one thing we cannot do – is fall asleep."

* * *

**January 13th, 2008**

The next couple of days were spent trying to find Jeremy Frost, with no luck, and making sure Bobby and Dean didn't fall asleep. Sam and Emily took turns staying awake to make sure they didn't collapse. On the second night, Dean was pissed as all Hell, speeding down the road in the Impala with Sam and Emily in tow.

"I mean, this Jeremy guy's not a friggin' ghost," Dean yelled angrily. "Where the hell could he be?"

"Dean, you sure you don't want me to drive?" Sam asked cautiously. "You seem a little... caffeinated."

"Well, thanks for the news flash, Edison!" Dean fumed. His cell phone became to ring and Dean began fumbling with it, mumbling in frustration until he finally got it in his hand and answered the call.

"Tell me you got something!" Dean yelled into the speaker.

There was a pause. "Yeah."

Pause. "What the hell, Bobby!"

Pause. "What's Bela got?"

Pause. Dean huffed. "Great! Well, I'm just gonna go blow my brains out now!" He shouted before throwing the phone down again and hitting the steering wheel.

"You know what?" Dean asked as he pulled the car onto the side of the road and shut off the engine. "That's it. I'm done."

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

Dean leaned back in his seat. "Taking myself a long-overdue nap."

"What?! Dean, Jeremy can come after you," Sam shouted.

"That's the idea."

"Excuse me?"

Dean opened his eyes. "Come on man, we can't find him, so let him come to me."

"On his own turf?" Sam argued. "Where he's basically a god?"

"I can handle it," Dean said, closing his eyes again.

"Not alone, you can't," Sam argued as he pulled out some of Dean's hair.

"Ow!" Dean yelped as he touched his head where Sam had pulled out his hair. "What are you doing?"

"Comin' in with you," Sam told Dean as he fiddled with his hair.

"No, you're not," Dean snapped.

"Why not? At least then it'll be two against one."

"Make that three against one," Emily said. "I'm coming too."

"Absolutely not," Dean snapped. "I don't know you well enough to have you in my head as well."

"Dean whatever's in your head, I probably already saw when I watched this episode," Emily argued. "Besides, we'll have a much better shot if it's the three of us against Jeremy."

"I don't care," Dean shook his head. "You're not going and that's final."

Emily huffed. "Fine."

Sam made two drinks with Dream Root in them and gave one to Dean. They each downed the drinks and a moment later fell asleep in the front seat of the car.

* * *

Emily looked at the sleeping Winchesters. They had been asleep for a long time already and she was starting to get worried. She knew Dean had told her "no", but she knew she might be able to help as well. Emily was contemplating whether or not to listen to Dean, when Sam let out a pained groan, indicating he'd been hit with something. Barely stopping to consider the idea, Emily leaned forward and made herself a Dream Root drink, complete with some of Dean's hair. Taking a deep breath, she downed the drink and soon found herself near a clearing, surrounded with trees.

Sam was pinned to the ground with what appeared to be railroad spikes. Jeremy was standing over him, hitting the Winchester repeatedly with a baseball bat. Thinking carefully, Emily quickly weighed her options. If she just ran out there, she'd be taken down almost instantly, and any wrong moves would cause Jeremy to know she was there. But this was a dream, where you could do anything you wanted...

Emily looked around, her eyes falling on a stone that looked pretty heavy. Too heavy for her to pick up, let alone throw with her hands. But what if she didn't need to use her hands?

Emily concentrated on the stone, imagining it flying through the air, straight towards Jeremy. The stone began to shake a little, lifting into the air as if something invisible was carrying it. Emily kept her concentration, remembering all the fun times she had with her powers when she was little, remembering how happy using them made her. The stone lifted easier now, and with a final push, Emily shoved the stone straight towards Jeremy, easily knocking him out of the way.

"What the...?" Sam asked, looking around.

Emily quickly ran up, releasing Sam from his trap. "Sorry," she apologized. "I know Dean said not to, but you looked like you needed some help"

"No, no," Sam panted. "I'm glad you're here. You arrived just in time." Sam looked at the unconscious Jeremy. "How did you do that?"

"I just concentrated," Emily shrugged. "Like this," focusing on Jeremy's baseball bat, Emily willed it to fly into her hands. It flew straight into her waiting palm with ease. "Don't know if it's just because we're in a dream, but I think I might have found out how to get my powers to work again."

"And just in time, too," Sam pointed to Jeremy, who was starting to regain consciousness. "Hand me that," he pointed to the bat in Emily's hand, which she passed over.

"You can't stop me," Jeremy groaned as he stood up. "There's nothing I can't do in here."

"Because of the Dream Root," Sam realized.

"That's right."

"Yeah? Well, you're forgetting something," Sam chuckled.

"What's that?" Jeremy asked, a new baseball bat in his hands.

"I took the Dream Root too," Sam smiled.

"Jeremy!" A man's voice called from the woods. "Jeremy!"

Jeremy started backing up in fear, dropping his bat. "No. No..."

The man started walking towards Jeremy.

"Dad?"

"You answer me when I'm talking to you, boy," Jeremy's dad, Henry, bellowed.

"No..." Jeremy whimpered, still backing away.

Sam took the opportunity to hit Jeremy across the face with the bat, knocking him down. He hit him again and again until Jeremy finally stopped moving, indicating he was dead.

A moment later, Emily found herself waking up in the Impala, along with Sam and Dean. Dean looked shaken up about something as he looked over at his brother.

* * *

**January 14th, 2008**

The next morning, Sam and Emily went to get Bobby from the hospital. While they were walking down the hall to the hotel room, Sam told Bobby what had happened the night before.

"So you both did a little dream-weaving of your own in here, huh?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. I just sort of concentrated and it happened, you know?"

"Didn't have anything to do with... you know, your psychic stuff?"

Sam stopped in front of the room door. "No. I mean, I don't think so. Emily did the same thing and she wasn't psychic."

Bobby nodded. "Good. Good."

Sam opened the door, and Dean turned around as they walked in.

"Hey, you guys seen Bela?" The older Winchester asked. "She's not in her room. She's not answering her phone."

"She must've taken off or something," Sam shrugged as he closed the door.

"Just like that? It's a little weird."

"Yeah well, if you ask me what's weird is why she helped us in the first place," Bobby

"I thought you saved her life," Dean recalled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bobby asked, perplexed.

"The thing in Flagstaff," Dean reminded him.

"That thing in Flagstaff was an amulet," Bobby told the hunters. "I gave her a good deal, that's all."

Dean looked confused, looking at Sam, who looked over at him with the same look of confusion.

"Well, then why did y-?" Sam began

"You boys better check your pockets," Bobby suggested.

Sam and Dean reached into their pockets and Bobby rolled his eyes. "Not literally."

Dean got a look of realization on his face and walked over to the safe. "No, no, no, no." He opened up the safe door, only to find it empty.

"The Colt," Sam sighed.

"Crap," Emily breathed.

"Bela stole the Colt," Sam said as Dean slammed the safe shut.

"Damn it, boys!" Bobby yelled.

"Pack your crap," Dean instructed as he walked over to his bag.

"Why?" Sam asked. "Where are we going?"

Dean turned to his brother. "We're gonna go hunt the bitch down."

They quickly packed their bags and went down to the parking lot, throwing their bags in the trunk of the Impala. Emily and Bobby followed with their bags, ready to take off in Bobby's car. Dean closed the trunk and leaned against the Impala with Sam and Emily.

"Hey, Sam. I was wondering. When you were in my head, what did you see?"

"Uh, just Jeremy. He kept me separated from you. Easier to beat my brains out that way, I guess." Sam looked at Emily. "I might have died if Emily didn't get there when she did."

"What?" Dean asked. He looked at the young girl angrily. "I told you to stay out of my head!"

Sam quickly got between Dean and Emily, shielding the young girl. "She saved my life, Dean!" He argued. "If Emily had listened to you, who knows what could have happened."

"You could have been fine!" Dean snapped.

"And I might not have been!" Sam yelled back. "Look, Emily saved my life tonight by doing some of her own dream weaving and I'm grateful for that. You should be, too!"

Dean looked at Emily. "You did some of your own dream weaving?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"I was pinned to the ground with railroad spikes and she threw a heavy stone from out of nowhere, knocking Jeremy out and allowing me to get free."

"Huh," Dean looked at the girl. "Not bad."

Emily smiled and Dean looked at her bag, then at the trunk. "You really think you're ready to go on a hunt with us?"

Emily looked at Dean in shock. "I think so."

Giving Sam a look, Dean opened the trunk back up. "Come on, put your stuff in."

"You mean it?" Emily asked in shock.

"Yep. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

Emily quickly put her bag in the trunk of the Impala before Dean closed it again. Once her bag was in, Dean closed the trunk and began got into the front seat.

"What about you?" Sam asked as he got into the passenger seat. "You never said."

"Nothing," Dean shook his head. "I was looking for you the whole time." Dean sighed, fiddling with the keys. "Sam," he finally said.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, looking over at Dean.

"I've been doing some thinking, and," Dean cleared his throat. "Well, the thing is... I don't wanna die." He looked over at Sam, whose expression had saddened. "I don't wanna go to hell."

After a moment, Sam nodded, tears welling in his eyes. "All right. Yeah," he said softly. "We'll find a way to save you."

"We won't let you die, Dean," Emily replied uneasily from the backseat. She knew in her heart that there wasn't really anything she could do to stop Lilith from taking Dean to Hell, but she was willing to try.

"Okay, good," Dean nodded shakingly.

Sam nodded reassuringly as Dean started the Impala and drove off.


	5. Mystery Spot

**February 4th, 2008**

Emily sat in the back of the Impala, fiddling with her thumbs as Dean drove the Impala down the road. They had spent the past month driving through the eastern U.S. before finally ending up in Broward County, Florida. Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Flamingo Des Palm Motel and the three of them grabbed their bags from the trunk. Sam went to check them in, while Emily and Dean waited for him outside.

"So, why are we here again?" Emily asked Dean. "I thought we were trying to find Bela."

"We are," Dean said, leaning against the trunk, "but Sammy thinks we should check out this guy that went missing from this town."

"Just the one guy?"

"Yep. Sammy knows more about this than me, though, so we'll probably just ask him tomorrow."

Sam came back outside with the key to the room. "Alright, we're checked in," he said, grabbing his bag.

Sam led them up to the motel room and opened the door, where they were greeted with two beds.

"Crap," Dean sighed. "There's only two beds."

"I can go ask for another bed for Emily," Sam offered.

"No," Dean sighed. "The beds should be big enough. She can share with one of us for tonight. Besides, it's late, and it'll just be for one night."

"Fine then," Sam sighed. "Then she can sleep with you." He tossed his bag onto the bed nearest the door.

Dean tried to argue but ultimately ended up giving up, as he and Emily tossed their bags onto the bed next to Sam's.

* * *

**February 5th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily was woken by the sound of "Heat of the Moment" playing on the radio. She sat up to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. Sam was sitting up in the bed next to them, eyeing Dean curiously. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed that it was 7:30 in the morning.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean greeted happily.

"Dude. Asia?" Sam groaned.

"Come on. You love this song and you know it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm gonna kill myself."

"What?" Dean yelled, turning up the volume. "Sorry, couldn't hear you."

Dean began bobbing his head to the music as Sam shook his head in disbelief at his brother's antics.

' _Crap_ ,' Emily thought to herself. ' _Mystery Spot episode. Okay, Sam doesn't look confused right now, so that probably means Dean hasn't died. Yet. Hopefully, when he does, I'll be able to help somehow. At least I'll get to meet Gabe in this episode. Or, the Trickster, as Sam and Dean know him as right now._ '

The three of them quickly got dressed and brushed their teeth before heading down to breakfast.

Sam and Emily were waiting for Dean by the open door of the motel. "Whenever you're ready, Dean," Sam sighed.

Dean pulled a black bra out of his bag. "This yours?" He asked, laughing at Sam's glare. Finally, he pulled out his M1911A1 pistol.

"Bingo." Dean walked out of the room. "Now who's ready for some breakfast?"

The three hunters walked down the street to a nearby diner, sitting down at a booth.

"Hey. Tuesday," Dean grinned, pointing to a poster on the wall. "Pig in a poke."

"You even know what that is?" Sam scoffed.

"You three ready?" a waitress, whose name tag read Doris, asked.

"Yes. I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee," Dean ordered.

"Make it two coffees and a short stack," Sam added.

Emily looked up from her menu. "Three coffees and french toast. And could I get some cream and sugar for my coffee, please?"

"You got it." Doris smiled before walking away.

"I'm telling you, Sam, this job is small fry," Dean told his brother. "We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

Sam scoffed. "Okay, sure, let's get right on that. Where is she again?"

"Shut up."

"Look. Believe me, I want to find her as bad as you do. In the meantime, we have this." Sam pulled out some papers, handing them to Dean.

"Alright, so this professor," Dean began, as he read the paper.

"Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished," Sam informed him.

Dean nodded. "Last known location?"

"His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot."

Dean flipped the flyer over. "Where the laws of physics have no meaning," he read.

Doris returned, holding a tray with three coffees. "Two coffees, black, and some hot sauce for the—" Doris gasped as the hot sauce fell off the tray, smashing onto the floor

"Whoops. Crap! Sorry," she said, looking sheepishly at Dean. Doris turned back to the kitchen. "Cleanup!"

The three of them finished their breakfast and, after paying, left the diner.

"Sam," Dean said, grabbing the flyer out of his brother's hand as they walked down the sidewalk, "joints like this are only tourist traps, right? I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, they're only dangerous to your wallet."

"Okay, look," Sam sighed, "I'm just saying, there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda Triangle, uh, the Oregon Vortex—"

"Broward County Mystery Spot?"

"Yeah, I'm with Dean on this, Sam," Emily chimed in. "Mystery Spots are a total scam."

"Well sometimes these places are legit," Sam argued.

"All right, so if it is legit, and that's a big-ass if, what's the lore?"

"Well—"

Before Sam could continue, Dean collided with a girl holding a stack of papers.

"Excuse me," the girl said, before walking in the opposite direction.

Emily suddenly got an idea. "Hold that thought, Sam," she said, running after the girl.

"Excuse me!" Emily yelled, running down the sidewalk. She caught up to the girl, who had stopped to wait up for her. "Could I have one of those flyers?"

The girl nodded, not saying a word as she handed a flyer to Emily before walking off again.

Emily ran back to Sam and Dean, waving the paper in the air.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked.

"Sorry," Emily replied. "But I remembered something from this episode when I saw that girl." She handed the paper to Sam. "That girl is the daughter of the man who went missing."

"Do you remember anything else?" Dean asked as Sam looked at the paper. "Like where the actual guy is so we can get out of this town?"

' _Yeah, he's in a wormhole,'_ Emily thought.

"No," she lied. "That I don't remember."

Sam looked down the sidewalk, probably to go chase after the girl handing out the papers, but she was already long gone. "Okay, uh, at least we have something to go on now. Good work, Emily."

"This whole thing still sounds a little _X-Files_ to me," Dean said.

Sam sighed. "All right, look, I'm not saying this is really happening, but if it is, we gotta check it out, see if we can do something."

Dean finally caved. "Alright, alright, we'll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice long look."

* * *

Later that night, they made their way to the Mystery Spot. Dean picked the lock and they were immediately greeted with a bright neon-green hallway and a long, black spiral painted on the walls and door. Sam pulled out the EMF reader and they moved further into the room.

"Wow. Uncanny," Emily heard Dean say sarcastically. She turned around to see his flashlight pointed at a table, lamp, and ashtray that was attached upside-down to the ceiling. "Find anything?" he asked Sam.

"No," Sam admitted.

"You have any idea what you're looking for?"

"Uh ... yeah," Sam replied, unconvincingly.

"Translation, "no"," Emily muttered.

"No," Sam admitted.

Dean shook his head as they continued looking around the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice from behind them asked.

All three of them whipped around to see a man pointing a shotgun directly at Dean.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa," Dean replied, pointing his gun away from the man. "Whoa. We can explain."

"You robbing me?" the man asked, pointing the gun at Sam.

"Look, nobody's robbing you, calm down."

The owner noticed Dean, putting his gun down and pointed the shotgun at him again. "Don't move!" he yelled.

"Just putting the gun down," Dean informed the man.

There was a loud bang as the owner fired his shotgun and Dean immediately fell to the floor.

"Dean!" Sam and Emily yelled simultaneously, running to Dean, who was struggling to breathe.

"Hey!" Sam cried out. He looked at the owner. "Call 911!"

"I—I didn't mean to—" the owner stammered.

"Now!" Sam yelled and the owner left.

Sam looked back at his brother. "Hey, hey, oh, no, no, no ... not like this..." he cried.

"Dean, come on," Emily tried, knowing it would do no good, "stay with us, okay?"

Dean suddenly went still, his eyes closing as Sam held him in his arms.

Sam looked at Emily in a panic, then back to his brother. "Dean," Sam said frantically.

* * *

**February 5th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily was woken by the sound of "Heat of the Moment" playing on the radio. She sat up to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. Sam was sitting up in the bed next to them, eyeing Dean curiously. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed that it was 7:30 in the morning.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean greeted happily. When Sam didn't reply, he pointed to the radio. "Dude. Asia."

"Dean," Sam finally said, staring intently at his brother.

"Oh, come on, you love this song and you know it," Dean argued, turning up the music bopping his head to the song.

Emily watched the interaction between the brothers. ' _Okay,_ ' she thought, ' _Sam looks like he doesn't know what's going on, which could mean that Dean just died. God, that sounds weird to think. Okay, focus Emily. You obviously don't remember Dean dying, but you do remember who's behind this. Maybe you can help Sam out a bit so that he doesn't have to watch Dean die a hundred times.'_

Emily watched Sam watch Dean gargle his water after brushing his teeth. At Sam's lack of reaction, Dean turned to his brother.

"What?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know."

"You all right?" Dean asked.

"I think I—" Sam paused for a moment. "Man, I had a weird dream."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, wiping the toothpaste water from his mouth. "Clowns or midgets?"

' _Okay,_ ' Emily thought again, ' _it's definitely the first time Dean has died in this episode._ '

They finished getting ready and headed down to the diner, finding a booth. Dean pointed to a picture on the wall behind him.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke," he beamed.

"It's Tuesday?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

A waitress, whose name tag read Doris, came up to their table. "Are you three ready?"

"Yes, I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee."

"Can I get some french toast and a glass of orange juice, please?"

Sam stared at Emily. "Uh, nothing for me, thanks," Sam said after a brief moment.

Doris smiled. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"I'm telling you, Sam, this job is small fry," Dean told his brother." We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

Dean noticed his brother staring after the waitress and snapped his fingers. "Hey. You with me?"

"What?" Sam asked, snapping back to attention.

"You sure you feel okay?"

Sam sighed. "You don't—you don't remember? Any of this?"

Dean shook his head. "Remember what?"

"This," Sam gestured around. "Today. Like it's—like it's ... happened before?"

"You mean like déjà vu?" Dean asked.

"No, I mean like, like it's happened before. Emily, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

" _Groundhog Day_?" Emily guessed.

"Yes, exactly," Sam agreed.

Doris walked up to their table, with a glass of orange juice, a coffee, and some hot sauce.

"Coffee, black, orange juice and some hot sauce for the—" the hot sauce began to wobble on the tray, before falling off, "Oops! Crap!"

Sam reached his hand out, catching the hot sauce as it fell. He stared at the bottle in his hand, before giving it back to Doris.

"Thanks," Doris said in amazement as she put the bottle on the table.

"Nice reflexes," Dean said.

Sam didn't reply.

The three of them finished their breakfast and, after paying, left the diner.

"Sam, I'm sorry, but I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Dean said as they walked down the street.

"Okay, look. Yesterday was Tuesday, right?" Sam asked. "But today is Tuesday too."

"No, yesterday was Monday, February 4th, Sam," Emily replied.

"So you don't believe me?!" Sam asked in frustration.

Dean laughed, accidentally colliding with a girl holding a stack of papers.

"Excuse me," the girl said, before walking off in the opposite direction.

"Look, I'm just saying that it's crazy, you know, I mean, even for us crazy," Dean argued. "Dingo ate my baby crazy. Hey, maybe it was another of your psychic premonitions."

"No, no way, way too vivid. Okay, look, we were at the Mystery Spot, and then—" Sam hesitated.

"And then what?"

"Then I woke up," Sam finally said. He stopped his brother as they passed by a couple of movers who were trying to get a full desk through a doorway. "Wait a minute! The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it—"

"Maybe what?" Dean asked.

Sam signed. "We gotta check that place out. Look, just – go with me on this, okay?"

Dean finally caved. "All right, all right, we'll go tonight, after close, get ourselves a nice long look."

Sam suddenly turned to his brother. "Wait, what? No."

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Uhh," Sam hesitated, "– Let's just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded."

Dean stared in disbelief at his younger brother. "My God, you're a freak."

"Dean," Sam snapped.

"Okay!" Dean said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Whatever. We'll go now."

Dean started to take a few steps forward, looking to his right as he entered the street. Emily suddenly remembered the car and grabbed Dean's shirt, pulling him to safety as a car sped directly through the spot he had just been standing at.

Emily panted, looking at a shocked Sam. "I believe you."

"What?" Sam asked.

Emily pulled Sam to the side, leaving a shocked Dean standing on the sidewalk. "I said, I believe you. I don't remember what happened for you yesterday, or today, or whenever, but I do know what's going on."

"You realize that makes no sense, right?"

"Yeah, well, neither does 'Yesterday was Tuesday but today is Tuesday too,'" Emily shrugged. "Let me guess, we went to the Mystery Spot at night and the owner shot accidentally Dean because he thought we were robbing him?"

Sam stared at her in disbelief. "That really happened?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah. And he would have gotten hit by that car if I didn't pull him out of the way. I don't remember Dean getting shot. But I do know what's going on and I want to help, if I can."

"Okay, well, how do we stop it?" Sam asked. "More importantly, who's behind it?"

"The Trickster," Emily replied. "The same one you guys hunted last time, at that school. He's made it so that Dean keeps dying on this day. Over and over again, different ways each time."

"But we killed that guy."

Emily shook her head. "No, you didn't."

Before Sam could say anything else, there was a loud yell heard from where Dean was left standing. Sam and Emily looked over to see Dean lying on the sidewalk. The tip of an arrow lodged directly into his heart.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, running to his brother.

"Shit!" Emily yelled, running after Sam.

"Dean, no, no, no," Sam picked his brother up, looking at the arrow. "Come on! Dean."

Dean didn't respond.

"Hey. Dean. Dean. Dean."

"Catch me up when you wake up," Emily said frantically, hoping to finish before the day reset. "Trust me, I'll believe you."

Sam nodded, looking back at his dead brother with pleading eyes.

* * *

**February 5th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily was woken by the sound of "Heat of the Moment" playing on the radio. She sat up to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. Sam was sitting up in the bed next to them, eyeing Dean curiously. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed that it was 7:30 in the morning.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean greeted happily. When Sam didn't reply, he pointed to the radio. "Dude. Asia."

Sam's eyes fell on Emily, his gaze getting hard. When Dean went into the bathroom, he walked over to her and muttered one word. " _Groundhog Day_."

Emily instantly knew what he meant and her eyes got wide. "Crap," she sighed. "How many times?"

"Just twice so far," Sam replied. "Shot by a gun and by an arrow."

"Wait, an arrow?" Emily asked. "In the episode, he got hit by a car."

"You pulled him out of the way of the car and told me what was going on, and then he got shot by an arrow. You said you didn't remember what had happened the last time."

Emily shook her head. "I don't. But I've watched this episode a million times. I know it like the back of my hand. Did I tell you who was doing it?"

Sam nodded. "The Trickster."

"Janitor from the school?"

Sam nodded again.

"Okay, that's good. By the way, that guy that went missing? Trickster dropped him into a-" she scrunched up her face, thinking for a moment, "wormhole, I think it was."

"Do you remember where the Trickster is now?"

Emily nodded. "It's the guy eating pancakes at the bar in the diner."

Dean came out of the bathroom. "You guys ready to go grab some breakfast?"

"Uh, yeah," Sam nodded. "I'll meet you guys outside. I just gotta grab something."

Dean stared after his brother, before shrugging and walking outside. Sam stopped Emily before she could follow him. "Make sure nothing happens to him," he instructed her.

The girl nodded before following Dean outside.

"What was that about?" Dean asked Emily as the motel door shut behind them.

Emily merely shrugged. "Who knows?" she asked.

A moment later, Sam came out of the room, carrying a brown paper bag. "Let's go."

Emily immediately followed while Dean stared at the bag Sam was holding, before following as well.

On the way to the diner, Sam and Emily decided to try and catch Dean up.

"Come again?" Dean asked.

"Sam's caught in a time loop," Emily repeated.

"Like ' _Groundhog Day_ '?"

"Exactly."

They reached the diner, finding a booth. Sam looked over to the man eating pancakes at the bar, not taking his eyes off him.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke," Dean exclaimed, pointing to a poster on the wall behind him.

A waitress came up to them. "Are you three ready?"

"He'll take the special, side of bacon, coffee, black. She'll have french toast and a glass of orange juice. Nothing for me, thanks," Sam replied firmly.

Doris stared at him for a moment. "You got it."

"Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that," Dean joked.

"This isn't funny," Emily argued.

"Yeah, quit screwing around, Dean," Sam snapped, eyes not leaving the man as he clutched the bag under the table.

Nothing much was said until the waitress brought the food over.

"Coffee, black, orange juice and some hot sauce for the—" the hot sauce began to wobble on the tray, before falling off, "Oops! Crap!"

Sam reached his hand out, catching the hot sauce as it fell. He barely looked at is as he put it down on the table.

"Nice reflexes," Dean said, impressed.

"So you think you're caught in some kind of what, again?" Dean asked, stuffing his face full of bacon."

"Eat your breakfast," Sam ordered.

Dean shrugged, shoving more bacon into his mouth. Finally, the man got up and walked out of the diner. Sam got up and followed, Emily close behind.

"What's in the bag?" Dean asked as he followed them out, tossing some money on the table before doing so.

Sam walked quickly ahead of Emily, pulling a wooden stake out of the bag. They followed the man up the street, leading a confused Dean along, before Sam finally caught up to the man, slamming him into a fence and putting the tip of the wooden stake at his throat.

"Hey!" the man cried out.

"I know who you are," Sam sneered. "Or should I say, what."

"Oh my god, please don't kill me," The man whimpered.

"Uh, Sam?" Dean asked. Emily held out a hand, stopping him from saying any more.

"It didn't take me very long to figure it out," Sam snarled.

"What?"

"Not when Emily there was here to help me out," Sam gestured his head towards Emily, who waved sheepishly. "She told me all about what you really are."

"Yeah, sure, okay," the man replied nervously, glancing at the stake, "just put the stake down!"

"Sam, maybe you should—" Dean tried again.

"No!" Sam cut him off. "There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops—in fact, you'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a Trickster."

"Mister, my name is Ed Coleman, my wife's name is Amelia, I got two kids, for crying out loud I sell ad space—"

Sam cut him off. "Don't lie to me! I know what you are! We should have killed you last time!"

The man smirked, finally morphing into his usual, Trickster look. "Yeah, but, you didn't."

"Why are you doing this?" Sam demanded.

"You're joking, right?" The Trickster scoffed. "You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this? Don't know how you figured me out so quickly though."

Sam didn't say anything but looked over at Emily. The Trickster followed his gaze. "You told him? Who are you?"

Emily smirked. "Hiya, Gabe."

Gabriel looked shocked. Emily suddenly found Sam and Dean frozen in place as everything seemed to freeze around her and Gabriel got out of Sam's grasp. "Who are you?"

"My name's Emily."

"Uh-huh," Gabe nodded. "Anything else? Like how you know who I am?"

"That, I'm not going to tell you."

Gabriel stared at her for a moment. "You're human," he finally said.

"And you're the archangel, Gabriel," Emily confirmed. "We done here?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Not even close. What else do you know?"

Emily sighed. "I know that you fled heaven because Michael and Lucifer were fighting. You came to Earth, pretended to be a trickster, and the other pagan gods know you as Loki."

"How do you know about me?" Gabe asked.

"No one told me if that's what you want to know. And I won't tell Sam and Dean either."

"Not good enough," Gabriel stepped forward. "How do you know about me."

"Okay okay," Emily put her hands up defensively. "I'm from an alternate universe where all of this is a TV show. You can believe me or not, but it's the truth."

Gabriel stared at her again, and Emily could tell he was reading her mind. Finally, he stared at her in shock. "You're telling the truth," he finally realized.

Emily nodded. "I'm also from the year 2016. I woke up in this universe almost a full year ago. Been here ever since."

"Who brought you here?"

Emily shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Still trying to figure that out."

Gabriel sighed. "Well, guess the cat's out then." He pointed a finger at her. "If you tell Sam and Dean about this-"

Emily cut the archangel off. "Relax, if I was going to tell them, I would have by now. There's already a lot that I'm keeping from them now anyways. The fact that you're not really a trickster is one of them."

Gabriel seemed satisfied. "I'll help you," he finally said after a moment.

"What?"

"I said I'll help you," Gabriel repeated. "I'm sure you were brought here for a reason. I'll help you figure out what that is. But only if you keep my identity a secret until either I tell Sam and Dean myself or they figure it out on their own." Gabriel held out his hand.

"Deal," Emily agreed, shaking the archangel's hand.

Gabriel looked back at the still frozen Sam. "Act naturally when everything starts moving again. Don't let it seem like anything weird happened."

Emily nodded. "You got it."

Gabriel looked at her. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Emily."

"That's not your real name though, right?"

Emily shook her head. "Emily is the name my foster mom at the orphanage gave me. I don't know what name my parents gave me though."

"Hmm," Gabriel nodded, not saying anything else. There was a flutter of wings, and suddenly, he was back in Sam's grasp. Gabriel gave a wink to Emily before time began to move again.

"And Hasselback, what about him?" Dean asked.

"That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one," the Trickster laughed. "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you?" Sam asked. "Killing Dean over and over again?"

"One, yes. It is fun," Gabriel nodded. "And two? This is so not about killing Dean. This joke is on you, Sam. Watching your brother die, every day? Forever?"

"You son of a bitch."

"You can't save your brother. No matter what."

"Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends now," Sam pushed the stake against Gabriel's throat.

"Oh-oh, hey, whoa!" Gabe cried out in fake panic. "Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear."

"You're lying," Sam insisted.

"If I am, you know where to find me," Gabe insisted. "Having pancakes at the diner."

Sam looked back and forth between Dean and Emily, and then returned his gaze to Gabriel. "No. Easier to just kill you."

"Sorry, kiddo. Can't have that." With that, Gabriel snapped his fingers, giving Emily a final wink before he disappeared.

* * *

**February 6th, 2008**

Emily woke up to the sound of the radio playing 'Back in Time'. She sat up and looked around. Dean was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, while Sam looked around happily.

"What, you gonna sleep all day?"

"No Asia," Sam realized.

"Yeah, I know." Dean pointed his toothbrush towards the radio. "This station sucks."

Sam glanced over at the clock. "It's Wednesday!"

' _Oh thank god,_ ' Emily sighed.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday," he informed his brother. "Turn that thing off, will you?"

"What, are you kidding me?" Sam grinned, walking up to his brother. "This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?"

"No. How many Tuesdays did you have?"

Sam threw on a long-sleeved shirt over his t-shirt. "More than I should have. Hey, wait. What do you remember?"

Dean thought for a moment. "I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday and then I remember running into the Trickster. But no, that's about it."

Sam turned to Emily. "What about you?"

"Everything," was all Emily said.

Sam nodded. "All right. Pack your stuff, let's get the hell out of town. Now."

"No breakfast?" Dean asked.

"No breakfast," Sam confirmed.

Dean sighed. "I'll go pack the car." With that, he walked out of the motel room, taking his bag with him.

"Hey, uh," Sam asked once they were alone. "How many Tuesdays did I go through in the original version of the episode that you weren't in?"

"About a hundred," Emily answered truthfully. "I couldn't let you go through that. Not if I had a chance to do something about it."

"Thanks," Sam smiled. "I appreciate that."

Emily smiled up at the younger Winchester.

**BANG!**

Sam and Emily looked at each other in a panic. "Dean!" Sam yelled, before running out the door, Emily close behind.

"No, no, no no no," Sam cried as he ran down the stairs.

Emily peered over the railing. There, on the ground by the Impala, was Dean with a fresh bullet wound in his chest.

* * *

Emily ran towards Sam, who had already taken his brother into his arms. "Not today," Sam was saying, "not today, this isn't supposed to happen today, come on—" Dean remained motionless. "I'm supposed to wake up."

Sam glared at Emily. "I thought you said this was over."

"Okay, first of all, I never said that," Emily defended herself. "And second, I was caught up in the moment. I forgot, okay? I'm sorry."

"No," Sam shook his head. "Not good enough." Grabbing Emily by the arm, he tossed her into the backseat of the Impala.

* * *

Emily was too scared to speak as she watched Sam put Dean's body into the trunk of the Impala. She didn't say a single word as Sam got into the driver's seat, and she refused to make eye contact with him as he drove her to Bobby's place. Sam didn't say a word to her as she got out of the car and grabbed her bag, speeding off just as she closed the door, leaving her in a cloud of dust.

"Emily?" Bobby asked as she walked through the front door. "What happened?"

"It's Sam," she admitted. "The Trickster killed Dean and Sam blames me."

"What?"

Emily told Bobby everything that had happened, minus the Trickster's actual identity.

"Balls!" Bobby yelled when she finished. "Any idea where Sam went?"

"I don't know," Emily answered. "Off to hunt down the Trickster, probably."

Bobby led her into the study, handing her a book. "Get reading, then. We got a lot of work to do."

* * *

**Six months later**

Emily and Bobby spent the next several months trying to find the Trickster, with no luck. Every once in awhile, Emily would wake up to hear Bobby leaving Sam a voicemail of their progress, but they didn't seem to be getting any closer. Finally, Emily woke up to Bobby packing a bag.

"I found him," Bobby told the girl as she came down the stairs one morning.

"Where?"

"Broward County, Florida. Looks like he decided to go back and have some more fun."

Emily nodded. "I'll go pack a bag."

"Actually, I think it'd be better if you stayed here. No offense, but I don't think Sam's really up for seeing you."

Emily nodded, a little hurt. "That's fine. I'll stay here, then."

Emily watched as Bobby put his bag into his car and drove off. With a sigh as she watched the car disappear, Emily turned and headed back up the stairs to her room.

It had been about an hour since Bobby had left when Emily heard a flutter of wings in front of her. She looked up from her book to see Gabriel leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought Sam and Bobby went to go find you."

"They did," Gabriel smirked. "Sam's talking to a clone right now."

"So what are you doing here?" Emily asked again.

"I told you I would help you," Gabriel told her. "I found something out."

"What is it?" Emily asked, curiously.

"Your name? Your birth name?" Gabriel asked. "It's not Emily."

"What?" Emily breathed.

"It's Amelia. Amelia Jones." Gabriel tossed a stack of papers at her, which she caught. "I knew you looked familiar when I saw you all those months ago, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Until I saw that." He pointed at a newspaper clipping on the top of the pile.

Emily read the paper. "Local couple found dead in their home. Four-month-old daughter missing." Underneath the title was a picture of a couple holding a baby that looked to be only a few months old. She looked up at the archangel. "This is dated April 1989."

"That it is," Gabriel nodded.

"But how do you know this is me?"

"I saw it in your mind," the archangel admitted. "You don't remember it now, but I saw the woman in that picture holding you as a baby."

"But this doesn't make any sense," Emily stammered. "That would mean that-"

"That you're actually from this world?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "But I'm not, right?"

"That I don't have an answer to, yet," Gabriel told the shocked girl. "If you want me to keep looking, I can."

"Wait, can't angels travel through time?"

"We can," Gabriel nodded.

"Can you take me back to this night?" Emily asked. "Maybe I can see what happened for myself."

Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. "You really wanna do that?"

Emily nodded, standing up. "If it means I finally get to learn about my past, then yes."

"As you wish." With that, Gabriel snapped his fingers.

* * *

Emily suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a living room. A man was sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper, while a woman walked around the room, cradling a baby in her arms.

"They can't see us," Gabriel told Emily. "This is the night they died."

"I think she's finally asleep," Emily heard the woman whispered. "I'm gonna go put her in her crib."

The man nodded, turning back to the paper. Emily watched as the woman carried the baby up the stairs.

"HENRY!" A panicked scream echoed through the silent house. The man, Henry, threw down his paper and rushed up the stairs.

Gabriel flew Emily up the stairs as Henry ran down the hall towards his wife. The woman was standing in the room, clutching the baby close to her, as another man stood at the end of the hall.

"I don't know who you are, but you need to get out of my house right now before I call the cops," Henry fumed.

Emily watched as the man at the end of the hallway sneered. "Or what?"

The woman, who had managed to calm down, slowly handed a now crying baby to Henry. "Take the baby and get out of here," she ordered.

Henry took the baby from his wife. "What? No, I'm not leaving."

"I'm not arguing! Get our baby out of here now!"

The woman pulled out a knife and lunged at the man standing down the hallway. The man flicked his wrist, and she was sent flying back in the opposite direction.

"You know you can't defeat me, Jessie," the man snarled. He flicked his wrist again, and a snap was heard. Jess fell to the floor in a heap, no longer moving.

"Who...what...what are you?" Henry began backing away.

The man blinked, and his eyeballs turned a solid black color, not answering the question. With another flick of his wrist, Henry was thrown back as well, dropping the baby in the process. Emily watched helplessly as the baby was thrown backward.

"No!" She cried out.

"Amelia!" Henry scrambled to his feet, only to be thrown back again by another invisible force.

Emily watched in confusion as a yellow ring appeared on the ground, sucking everything around it, including the baby, inside.

"What the hell?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"No!" the demon screamed.

The man turned back to the man. "Where's my daughter, you bitch?"

"I don't need to answer to you." The demon sneered. With one final flick of his wrist, the man's neck snapped, and he fell to the floor just like his wife.

Another flutter of wings later, and Emily found herself back at Bobby's house. She slowly sank to the floor, unable to say anything out of shock.

"You okay?" Gabriel asked, kneeling next to her.

Emily shook her head. "No," she admitted. She looked up at the archangel. "Those were my parents. My mom was a hunter and I just watched her and my dad get killed by a demon. And what was that ring that appeared on the ground?"

"My guess," Gabriel replied, "is that it was something that brought you to the world you grew up in."

"But why am I back now?"

"That, I don't have an answer to. Maybe if you ever have a chance to meet my dad, you can ask him." The archangel looked at the small girl. "You gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Emily nodded. "Might take a while to wrap my head around all of this."

"Good," Gabe nodded. "Because I hate to do this, but I gotta get you guys back to that Wednesday Dean died. Sam's insisting." He rolled his eyes, which made Emily laugh a bit.

Gabriel stood up, helping Emily to her feet. "Let's get you back, yeah?"

Emily nodded.

Gabriel raised his hand to snap his fingers. "Oh, and don't worry, Sammy won't remember that he was mad at you." With that, Gabriel snapped his fingers.

* * *

**February 6th, 2008**

Emily found herself waking up in the motel room at Broward County, Florida to the radio playing "Back in Time." She slowly sat up, looking around cautiously, wondering if what had just happened was real or just a vivid dream.

"What, you gonna sleep all day?" Dean's voice came from the bathroom. He came out, brushing his teeth.

"I know, no Asia. This station sucks."

Emily looked over at Sam. He looked like he didn't know whether to believe what he was seeing or not.

Sam looked over at the clock. "It's Wednesday," he informed his brother.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off."

Sam threw the covers off of himself and threw his brother into a hug.

"Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?" Dean asked.

"Enough." Sam stopped hugging his brother. "What, uh, what do you remember?"

"I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday," Dean recalled. "I remember getting up with the Trickster. That's about it."

Sam looked back at Emily, and she backed up a tiny bit in fear, but he didn't seem to notice. "What about you?"

"Everything," Emily admitted.

Sam nodded. He patted his brother on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"No breakfast?" Dean asked.

"No breakfast," Sam confirmed.

Dean shrugged. "All right, I'll pack the car."

"Wait," Sam stopped him, "you're not going anywhere alone."

"It's the parking lot, Sam," Dean argued.

"Just—just trust me," Sam insisted.

Emily went into the bathroom to get dressed. She put on a pair of black jeans and a plaid shirt, along with her sneakers before heading back out.

Sam was busy packing his bag as Dean opened the door to the motel and turned back to him.

"Hey, you don't look so good," Dean observed. "Something else happen?"

Sam didn't say anything. "I just had a really weird dream," he finally told his brother.

Dean nodded. "Clowns or midgets?"

Sam looked up at his brother, who grinned. Emily could tell Sam was trying to smile as well as he picked up his bag, following Dean out the door. Emily threw on her jacket before grabbing her bag as well, following the Winchesters to the car.


	6. Jus in Bello

**February 15th, 2008 - Monument Colorado**

Sam, Dean, and Emily ran into Bela's room, shutting the door behind them. They had gotten a tip from Bobby earlier in the day on the Colt's location, and had immediately driven over there. It had been a little over a week since the Mystery Spot encounter. A little over a week since Emily had learned her real name and what had happened to her parents. She hadn't told Sam and Dean about any of it yet. She was working up to it but needed to figure out a way to tell them without revealing Gabriel's identity to the Winchesters.

"Any sign of it?" Dean asked, looking through the drawers.

Sam looked in the safe. "Nothing," he sighed.

Emily dug around in the closet. "Nothing here either," she announced.

"Are you sure this is Bela's room?" Sam asked

Dean held up two wigs, showing them to Sam and Emily. "I'd say so."

A phone that was sitting on the bed began to ring. Dean walked over to it, looking at Sam, who shook his head. Cautiously picking up the phone with two fingers, Dean put the receiver to his ear, not saying anything. After a moment, his expression got firm.

"Where are you?" Dean asked into the phone. There was a pause as Dean listened. "Where?" He snapped. Another pause. "I want it back, Bela… now." Pause. "You understand how many people are gonna die if you do this?" Pause. "Take the only weapon we have against an army of demons and sell it to the highest bidder," Dean said, his voice getting louder. There was another pause. "I know I'm gonna stop you." Pause. "Oh, I'll find you, sweetheart. You know why? Because I have absolutely nothing better to do than to track you down."

Dean listened to Bela speak on the other line, glancing up at Sam and Emily who had been listening to Dean talk on the phone this whole time, his eyes full of worry. He narrowed his eyes in confusion just as the door to Bela's room was kicked down by several police officers.

"Hands in the air!" One of the officers yelled. Sam, Dean, and Emily immediately raised their hands into the air.

"Down on your knees," another officer yelled.

"That bitch!" Dean muttered.

"Turn around! Now!" The first officer said, forcing Sam and Dean to the floor. A third officer came up to Emily, forcing her on the ground as well. The young girl was too shaken up with fear at the moment to protest or say anything. She was being arrested.

"Sam and Dean Winchester, you have the right to remain silent," the first officer spoke as Emily felt the cuffs being put on her wrists. They hurt like hell and it hurt to move her wrists too much.

An officer began reading off their rights. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you at government expense."

Emily could see a pair of black shoes come into the room. Straining to look up, she saw a man wearing an FBI jacket, standing over the brothers. He looked at Sam and Dean, smirking.

"Hi guys," the man said. "It's been a while."

Sam and Dean looked at each other. Dean turned his head to look at Emily, who had obvious fear in her eyes, before groaning and putting his head on the floor.

The three of them were led to a SWAT van, handcuffs on their wrists.

"Hey look," Dean said suddenly when they reached the van. "Take us if you want, but let her go." He nodded his head towards Emily. "She had nothing to do with this."

"Orders are orders," the officer barked. "Now move it!"

* * *

The ride to the precinct was quiet. After what felt like hours, they finally stopped moving. The three of them sat in the back of the van, a couple of officers pointing their guns at them, while more shackled Sam and Dean's feet together, leaving Emily in handcuffs only.

Led by an FBI agent and followed by two officers, the Winchesters and Emily walked into the precinct. They stopped at a room where the agent from Bela's room was leaning against a desk, smirking. Two more officers were standing guard while a woman sat at a desk, holding a rosary. The nameplate on her desk read "Nancy Fitzgerald, Secretary."

"Why all the sourpusses?" Dean joked.

"I'll show you to the cells," the FBI agent that led them in said, as he grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him along.

"Hey! Hey! Watch the merchandise!" Dean protested as he was dragged down the hall. Emily's eyes met Nancy's, who was looking at them in fear. "We're not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy," Dean told the girl.

Sam and Dean were led to a cell. A guard opened it up, and they walked inside. Emily began to follow, but she was stopped by another officer.

"Not you," the officer said. "We're putting you in a separate cell." He led Emily to the cell directly across from Sam and Dean and led her in.

After locking the cell, the officers walked away, leaving the three of them alone. Emily sat on the bed and watched as Dean walked to the bed in his and Sam's cell, and Sam walked to the cell door, both almost falling because of the shackles.

"Dean, come on!" Sam yelled.

"All right, all right," Dean looked at the bed. "Sit?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

They awkwardly walked around each other before they finally sat down on the bed.

"How we gonna Houdini out of this one?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "Good question."

"Emily!" Dean called to the young girl. "How are you holding up?"

"Peachy," Emily replied.

"Hey, don't worry, okay?" Dean asked. "You're gonna be just fine, I promise."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, okay?" Dean assured the girl. "We're in trouble for a hell of a lot more stuff than you are right now, so just stay calm and we'll get you through this. I know you're scared, but you just gotta hold on, alright?"

Emily nodded. "Alright."

* * *

A few minutes later, the agent from Bela's room came up to the cells grabbing a bar on the door to Sam and Dean's cell. He stood there for a moment, looking at the two of them.

"You know what I'm trying to decide?" He finally asked.

Dean scoffed. "I don't know. What? Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?"

"What to have for dinner tonight." Sam looked up at the agent as he said that. "Steak or lobster. What the hell? Surf and turf. I got a lot to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you two in chains…"

"You kinky son of a bitch," Dean joked. "We don't swing that way."

"Now, that's funny," the agent smirked.

"You know, I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet. Couldn't catch us at the bank, couldn't keep us in that jail," Dean recounted.

The agent nodded. "You're right. Screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart but now I'm ready."

"Yeah, ready to lose us again?" Dean asked.

"Ready like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximum prison in Nevada till trial," the agent informed them. "Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell, so that between you and me… probably unconstitutional. How's that for ready?"

Dean didn't respond.

Your little friend over there though," he gestured over to Emily. "As soon as we figure out what to do with her, she'll probably go away too. Cause see we don't have her suspected of anything, yet. I'm sure we'll find something though. After all, she's friends with you two."

"She had nothing to do with any of this, okay?" Dean asked. "It was just wrong place, wrong time. Take us if you want, but let her go."

"Take a good look at Sam," the agent continued, ignoring Dean's request, "you two will never see each other again."

Sam and Dean looked up at the agent.

"Aw. Where's that smug smile, Dean?" He smirked. "I want to see it."

Dean shook his head. "You got the wrong guys."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. You fight monsters," the agent scoffed. "Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in a bad place. That's all. That's reality."

"Why don't you shut your mouth?" Dean asked.

"Well, guess what. Life sucks. Get a helmet. 'Cause everybody's got a sob story. But not everybody becomes a killer." The sound of a helicopter approaching could be heard nearby. "And now I have two less to worry about." He looked at his watch. "Mm. It's surf and turf time."

Instead of leaving, however, the agent turned to Emily. "You're coming with me," he told her.

"What?" Emily asked. "Why?"

"Gotta get your fingerprints," the man informed her. "Figure out just who you are."

Emily looked at Sam and Dean nervously. Sam nodded to let her know it would be alright, and the agent unlocked her cell, leading her out and to the office.

A man in a black suit was entering the office as Emily and the agent walked down the hall.

"Henriksen," the man greeted. He pointed to Emily, "Who the hell is this?"

"One of the suspects. We found her with Sam and Dean."

"So what the hell is she doing out of the cell?"

"Gotta get her in the system, real quick before we send them away."

"Well, do it fast," the man instructed. "I gotta go talk to our guys." The man walked down the hall to the holding cells, and the agent led Emily to a desk.

"Sit."

Emily sat.

"What's your name?"

Emily was about to answer with the name she had known her whole life but instead decided to try out her real name. "Amelia," she replied. "Amelia Jones."

One of the older officers overheard her. "Did you just say, Amelia Jones?" He asked.

Emily nodded.

"What is so damn fascinating about that name?" Henriksen demanded.

Instead of answering, the officer pulled out a file, showing it to the agent. The file looked several years old.

Henriksen opened the file and looked inside, he looked at Emily, and then back to the file.

"You really expect me to believe," he finally asked, "that you're this baby who went missing twenty years ago?" He showed her the newspaper clipping Gabriel had shown her a week prior.

"I am," Emily nodded. "Can't you do a DNA test or something? I really am her, and that will prove it." She looked between the officer and Henriksen. "Come on, would I really tell you to test me if I wasn't absolutely certain?"

Henriksen looked at her for a moment, and then finally looked at the officer. "Get a sample from her."

The officer took a cheek swab from Emily, putting it in a scanner.

"How long will that take?"

"It can take up to an hour."

A shot was suddenly heard from the holding cells.

"What the hell?" The officer yelled as he started running with them to the cells, leaving Emily alone.

Henriksen pointed at Emily. "Stay with her!"

The officer reluctantly went back to the desk, where Emily was still sitting.

"So tell me, how'd someone like you get caught up with those two in there?" The officer asked.

"It's a long story," Emily sighed. "I was kidnapped a few months ago and Sam and Dean rescued me. I didn't have anywhere to go so they let me stay with them."

"No parents?"

"I grew up in an orphanage," Emily informed the man. "No parents to go to."

"Hmm," the officer nodded. He was about to say something when the computer beeped. The officer looked at it, and shock flashed across his face.

"What?" Emily asked.

The officer turned the monitor to face her, and Emily read what was on the screen.

' **DNA Results:**

 **Name:** Amelia Jones

 **Birthday:** January 18th, 1989

 **Parents:** Jessica and Henry Jones (Deceased)

 **Missing since:** April 22nd, 1989'

"Holy shit," Emily breathed.

"Looks like you were right," the officer told her. "It only took getting arrested for us to find you." He turned the monitor back around. "Where have you been all this time?"

"In an orphanage in Los Angeles," Emily replied.

' _In another universe, in the future_ ,' she thought. She pointed to the monitor. "Would it be alright if I got a copy of that?"

"I'll see what I can do," the officer told her.

The sound of a large explosion could be heard from outside.

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"Wait here," the officer instructed. He left Emily sitting at the desk as he ran to the door, peering out, his gun pointed to the ceiling.

"Shit!" The officer swore.

Henriksen came running into the room. "What the hell's going on?" He asked.

"I think everyone's dead out there," the officer said. "Helicopter looks like it exploded."

"Let me see," Henriksen pushed the officer out of the way, peering out the window. "Alright," he finally said, "get your men ready. Nobody gets those boys out!" The agent looked at Emily. "And get her back in her cell. It's too dangerous for her to be out here right now."

The officer led Emily back to the holding cell.

"What's going on?" The girl asked.

"Not sure, but you'll be safe in here." The officer took off her handcuffs before leading her back into the cell. Sam and Dean were still in the other one, cleaning Dean's bullet wound.

"What happened?" Sam asked as the officer left.

"They did a DNA test on me."

"But they didn't get anything right?" Dean asked. "I mean, you're not from this world so there's no way they'd find anything."

"Well, apparently they did," Emily sighed. "Turns out I actually am-

Before Emily could continue, the lights went out in the building.

"Well that can't be good," Dean muttered.

Henriksen came back in. "What's the plan?" He asked. "Kill everyone in the station, bust you three out?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"I'm talking about your psycho friends. I'm talking about a blood bath."

"Okay, I promise you – whoever's out there is not here to help us," Dean groaned.

"Look, you got to believe us," Sam continued. "Everyone here is in terrible danger."

"You think?" The agent scoffed.

"Why don't you let us out of here so we can save your asses?" Dean snapped.

"From what?" Henriksen asked. Sam and Dean looked at each other. "You gonna say "demons"?" He pointed his gun to the ceiling. "Don't you dare say "demons". Let me tell you something. You should be a lot more scared of me." Henriksen gave them a final look before leaving again.

"How's your shoulder, Dean?" Emily asked.

Dean took a pad of toilet paper off his wound. It had a large stain of blood on it. "It's awesome," he groaned, tossing the pad away. "I'll live. You know, if we get out of here alive. So you got a plan?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam checked Dean's wound as he grimaced in pain. He looked down the hall, and Emily followed his gaze to see the secretary, Nancy, watching them from around the corner.

"Hey," Dean whispered to his brother, pointing to Nancy.

"Hey," Sam said to Nancy. Nancy began to back away.

"Hey, uh, please," Sam continued. "Please. We need your help. It's… it's Nancy. Nancy, right?" Nancy didn't reply. "Nancy, my… my brother's been shot. He's… He's bleeding really bad. Do you think maybe you could get us a towel? Please? Just one clean towel?" At Nancy's silence, Sam continued. "Look. Look at us. We're not the bad guys. I swear."

Dean gave Nancy a small smile and she left. Dean sighed. "Nice try."

Sam sighed again and then turned back around to see that Nancy had returned, holding a towel. He sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Nancy slowly began to approach the cell. Sam reached out his handcuffed hands. "It's okay," he assured her.

Nancy reached the towel through the bars, while Sam smiled at her. Suddenly, Emily saw Sam grab Nancy's arm and drag her against the bars.

"What are you doing?" Emily yelled.

Nancy screamed and a guard ran in with a rifle.

"Let her go! Let her go!" The guard ordered, pointing the rifle at Sam.

Sam let go of Nancy and she quickly backed away.

"You're okay, Nance?" The guard asked, his gun aimed at Sam. He looked back at the younger Winchester. "Try something again, get shot. And not in the arm."

"Okay."

The guard and Nancy left. Dean hit his brother in the arm. "What the hell was that?"

Sam held up Nancy's rosary in response. Dean chuckled.

Seeing no other option, Sam dropped the rosary into the toilet. "Exorcizo te, creatura aquae. In nomine dei patris onmipotintes," he chanted.

"So, what if a demon comes into my cell?" Emily asked.

"Don't worry, we got you covered," Sam told her.

Dean pressed the towel against his wound. The Winchesters sat down on the bed together.

"We're like sitting ducks in here," Sam sighed.

Dean leaned against the wall. "Yeah, I know. Would it kill these cops to BRING US A SNACK?!"

"How many you figure are out there?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Emily, you got any idea?"

"No clue. Dozens, I think."

"Hey, uh, what was it that you were gonna tell us earlier?" Sam asked.

"Oh, uh," Emily sighed. "So, it turns out that I actually am from this world."

Sam and Dean stared at her. "What did you say?" They asked simultaneously.

"Yeah," Emily sighed. "Turns out my real name is Amelia Jones. I was born in 1989 and four months after I was born, my parents were murdered and I went missing."

"I thought you told us you grew up in an alternate universe," Dean said, raising an eyebrow.

"I did," Emily nodded. "I guess I somehow ended up in a world where your lives are a TV show, grew up there, and now I'm back."

Dean nodded. "Hmmm. So, Amelia huh? Nice name."

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "I kinda like it."

"So should we start calling you that then?" Sam asked.

"You can call me whatever you want," Emily replied. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this."

"It'll take us some getting used to, as well," Sam said, "but first we need to figure out what to do about those demons. However many they are, they could be possessing anyone. Anyone could just walk right in."

"It's kind of wild, right?" Dean laughed. "I mean it's like they're coming for us. They've never done that before." The older Winchester smiled. "It's like we got a contract on us. Think it's because we're so awesome? I think it's 'cause we're so awesome."

One of the guards came into the holding cell area.

"Well, howdy, there, sheriff," Dean greeted in a southern accent.

The guard unlocked Emily's cell and then turned around to unlock Sam and Dean's.

"Uh, sheriff?" Sam asked as Emily stepped out of her cell.

"It's time to go, boys," the guard said, not looking at them.

Sam and Dean took a step back as the guard walked into the cell. "Uh… you know what?" Dean said hesitantly. "We're – we're just comfy right here. But thank you."

Henriksen came into the room. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"We're not just gonna sit around here and wait to die," the guard told him. "We're gonna make a run for it."

"It's safer here," Henriksen told him.

"There's a SWAT facility in Boulder," the guard replied.

Henriksen stepped inside the cell. "We're not going anywhere."

"The hell we're not," the guard yelled.

Before anyone could react, Henriksen pulled out a gun and shot the guard in the face. Emily immediately ran into Sam and Dean's cell as they grabbed Henriksen and began to grapple with him. Emily grabbed his gun arm and wrestled the gun from his hands, giving it to Dean. Sam dunked Henriksen's head into the toilet and began to perform an exorcism. Another guard ran into the room and pointed his gun at Dean. Dean pointed Henriksen's gun at the guard.

"Stay back!" Dean ordered.

Henriksen lifted his face out of the water and began yelling. Sam shoved his face back under and continued the exorcism. Nancy ran around the corner.

"Hurry up!" Dean yelled to his brother.

Henriksen lifted his head again. "It's too late," he shouted. "I already called them. They're already coming."

Sam shoved his head back under the water and finished the exorcism. Black smoke suddenly shot out of Henriksen's mouth and went into the air vent.

Henriksen fell to the floor, not moving.

"Is he… is he dead?" Nancy asked cautiously.

"I don't think so," Emily said.

Henriksen began to cough, regaining consciousness.

"Henriksen! Hey. Is that you in there?" Sam asked.

Henriksen sat on the bed, breathing heavily. "I… I shot the sheriff," he finally said.

Dean paused. "But you didn't shoot the deputy." He smiled at his joke, but nobody smiled back.

"Five minutes ago, I was fine," Henriksen recalled, "and then…"

"Let me guess," Dean interrupted. "Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?"

Henriksen looked at the Winchester.

"You were possessed," Sam informed him.

"Possessed, like… possessed?"

"You believe us now?" Emily asked.

"I owe the biggest, "I told you so" ever," Dean smirked, handing Henriksen his gun back.

Henriksen stood up. "Officer Amici. Keys..."

Officer Amici handed Henriksen the keys to Sam and Dean's cuffs, and unlocked them, letting them fall to the floor.

"All right," Henriksen addressed the three hunters, "so how do we survive?"

"We're gonna need paint," Sam said.

"And I'm gonna need floorplans of the building, if you've got it," Dean continued.

"We're also gonna need salt," Emily finished. "Lots and lots of salt."

"There's road salt in the storeroom," Nancy spoke up.

"Okay, good," Dean said. "Emily, why don't you go help them with that."

"Let's get that wound of yours taken care of first," Henriksen said, pointing to Dean's shoulder.

* * *

The six of them walked back into the office. Henriksen gave Dean the blueprint of the building and he began to look it over while Nancy tended to his wound.

"Got some spray paint, for you," officer Amici told Sam, handing him a couple of cans.

"Perfect," Sam said. He took the cans and walked down the hall to begin making a devils trap.

"We'll go get the salt," Emily said.

Henriksen, Amici, and Emily headed down to the storage room.

"I thought you said your name was Amelia," Henriksen told the young girl.

"It is," Emily told him. "But Emily is the name I've known my whole life since I was found at the orphanage I was found at. It's the name I've known my whole life. I didn't learn my real name until about a week ago. To be honest, when I told you that name, I wasn't entirely sure myself that I really was her, but I had to check."

"So what do you prefer we call you?" Officer Amici asked.

"You can call me Emily or Amelia if you want. They're both me."

The three people grabbed bags of salt, bringing them into the office.

"Hey, where's my car?" Dean asked. His shoulder was wrapped up in a bandage.

"Impound lot out back," the officer informed him.

Dean nodded. "Okay." He started walking towards the doors.

"Wait," Dean looked at the officer who had just spoken. "You're not going out there?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I got to get something out of my trunk."

Dean headed outside.

"We need to salt all the windows and doors," Emily informed everyone in the room. "It'll keep the demons from just coming in."

They began lining the windows and doors with salt while Sam continued drawing devil's traps.

"They're coming!" Dean's voice could be heard from down the hall.

From down another hall, Nancy screamed.

"Hurry," Dean yelled.

* * *

Everyone ran to the office, where Henriksen was. Dean tossed Sam and Emily shotguns. Black smoke began to surround the windows. The lights flickered and the building got darker. Nancy clutched her cross necklace and Emily noticed.

"Hey," she assured the woman, "it'll be okay."

Nancy gave Emily a small smile.

Dust rained down from the ceiling as the building began to shake. The shaking got more violent until it finally stopped completely.

Sam looked around. "Everybody okay?"

"Define "okay"," Henriksen said.

"All right, everybody needs to put these on." Dean pulled out several protection necklaces, giving one to the officer, Henriksen, and Nancy. "They'll keep you from being possessed. There you go."

"What about you three?"

Sam and Dean showed their protection symbol tattoos on their chest, while Emily showed her own necklace.

"Smart," Henriksen nodded. "How long you had those?"

"Not long enough."

They waited inside the building for what felt like a long time. Henriksen looked at the sheriff's nameplate while Dean watched him.

"Hey, that's Jenna Rubner," Nancy spoke up.

Sam and Emily walked up to her and looked outside. A large group of people possessed by demons was standing outside.

"That's not Jenna anymore," Sam told Nancy.

"That's where all that black demon smoke went?" Nancy asked.

"Yep," Emily nodded. "Come on." She led Nancy away from the window.

Henriksen picked up a salt round. "Shotgun shells full of salt."

"Whatever works," Dean shrugged, loading his gun.

"Fighting off monsters with condiments," Henriksen took off his tie and picked up his gun. "So. Turns out demons are real." He began loading his gun with salt rounds.

"FYI, ghosts are real too. So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, evil clowns that eat people," Dean listed.

"Hey Dean," Emily spoke up, "I don't think that's helping."

Dean nodded. "If it makes you feel better," he told Henriksen with a smile, "Bigfoot's a hoax."

"It doesn't," Henriksen shook his head. "How many demons?"

"Total? No clue."

"There's a lot," Emily continued. "We know that much."

"You know what my job is?" Henriksen asked.

"You mean besides locking up the good guys?" Dean asked. He stood up and walked over to Henriksen. "I have no idea."

"My job is boring, it's frustrating," Henriksen told the hunter. "You work three years for one break, and then maybe you can save ... a few people. Maybe. That's the payoff. I've been busting my ass for 15 years to nail a handful of guys and all this while, there's something off in the corner so big. So yeah… sign me up for that big, frosty mug of wasting my damn life."

"You didn't know," Dean told him.

"Now I do." Henriksen paused. "What's out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?"

"We can try," Emily replied.

"Honestly? I think the world's gonna end bloody," Dean answered. "But it doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices. I choose to go down swingin'."

"Plus you got nothing to go home to but your brother," Henriksen replied. He looked at Emily. "And now you got this girl you gotta protect."

Dean looked at Emily. "Emily proved pretty early on that she's capable of anything, even if it seems impossible. If anyone can get through this, I know she can. She didn't have a family when we met her, and now she does. She's got us and we'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

Emily smiled slightly at that comment.

"What about you?" Dean asked Henriksen. "You rockin' the white picket fence?"

"Mmm-mm," Henriksen nodded. "Empty apartment, a string of angry ex-wives. I'm right where you are," he chuckled.

Dean chuckled as well. "Imagine that."

* * *

A loud crash could be heard from the storage room. Dean, Emily, and Henriksen grabbed their guns and ran into the room. Sam ran in after them.

Ruby was standing on a devil's trap, looking pissed.

Henriksen aimed his rifle. "How do we kill her?"

"We don't," Sam said, pushing Henriksen's rifle down.

"She's a demon," Henriksen stated.

"She's here to help us," Sam sighed.

"Are you kidding?" Officer Amici asked. He and Nancy were poking their heads around the corner.

"Are you gonna let me out?" Ruby asked.

Sam pulled out a knife and scratched away at the paint, releasing Ruby from her trap.

"And they say chivalry is dead," Ruby told Sam. She began walking out of the room. "Does anyone have a breath mint?" She asked on her way out. "Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here."

Everyone followed Ruby to the office. "How many are out there?" Dean asked.

"30 at least," Ruby replied, sitting on a desk. "That's so far."

"Oh, good," Dean said sarcastically. "30. 30 hitmen all gunning for us. Who sent them?"

Ruby looked at Sam. "You didn't tell Dean?"

Dean looked at Sam, confused.

"Lilith," Emily muttered.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"There's a big new up and corner," Ruby answered. "Real pied piper."

"Lilith?" Dean repeated.

Ruby nodded. "She really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick. 'Cause she sees him as competition."

Dean looked at his brother. "You knew about this?"

Sam didn't reply.

"Well, gee, Sam," Dean yelled. "Is there anything else I should know?!"

"How about the two of you talk about this later?" Ruby interrupted. "We'll need the Colt." Ruby looked at Sam, who dropped his gaze. "Where's the Colt?"

"It got stolen," Sam admitted.

"I'm sorry," Ruby snapped. "I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands." The demon stood up. "Fantastic," she snarled, walking to the other side of the room. "This is just peachy…"

"Ruby," Sam began.

Ruby held up a hand. "Shut up," she ordered. "Fine," she said after a moment. Ruby turned back around to face them. "Since I don't see that there's any other option. There's one other way I know how to get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"I know a spell," Ruby replied, walking up to the hunter. "It'll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius. Myself included." She turned to Sam. "So, you let the Colt out of your sight and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?" Ruby sat back down.

Dean stood up. "Okay, what do we need to do?"

"Aww," Ruby told the hunter in mock sympathy, "you can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue."

Dean nodded. "I got virtue."

Ruby chuckled. "Nice try. You're not a virgin."

Dean laughed at the demon. "Nobody's a virgin."

Ruby didn't respond, her eyes moving over towards Nancy, who was fiddling with her cross necklace. Dean followed the demon's gaze.

"No. No way," he told Nancy as the woman began to rub the back of her neck nervously. "You're kidding me, r–. You're…"

"What?" Nancy asked. "It's a choice, okay?"

"So, y-you've never… Not even once?" Dean stammered. "I mean not even – Wow."

"So, this spell. What can I do?" Nancy smiled at Ruby.

"You can hold still," Ruby said as she approached the young woman, "while I cut your heart out of your chest."

"What?" Nancy asked.

Emily immediately pulled Nancy closer to her. "That is not happening."

"Are you crazy?" Dean asked.

"I'm offering a solution," Ruby argued.

"You're offering to kill somebody," Dean argued back.

"And what do you think is going to happen to this girl when the demons get in?" Ruby asked.

"We're gonna protect her," Henriksen spoke up. "That's what."

"Excuse me," Nancy said quietly.

"Very noble," Ruby said, her voice growing louder.

"Ex– excuse me," Nancy tried again, a little louder.

"You're all gonna die," Ruby continued yelling at Dean. "Look. This is the only way."

"Yeah, yeah. There's no way that you're gonna—"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy yelled over everyone. Dean and Ruby stopped arguing to look at her. "All the people out there… will it save them?"

"It'll blow the demons out of their bodies," Ruby nodded. "So if their bodies are okay… yeah."

Nancy nodded. "I'll do it."

"Hell no," Henriksen shook his head.

Dean shook his head as well. "No, no. You don't need to do this."

"All my friends are out there," Nancy reminded them.

"We don't sacrifice people," Henriksen argued. "We do that, we're no better than them."

"We don't have a choice," Ruby said quietly.

"Yeah, well, your choice is not a choice," Dean yelled.

Ruby looked at the younger Winchester. "Sam, you know I'm right."

Everyone looked at Sam, who didn't respond.

Dean chuckled nervously. "Sam?" Sam didn't reply. "What the hell is going on? Sam, tell her," Dean ordered.

"It's my decision," Nancy spoke.

"Damn straight, cherry pie," Ruby smirked.

"Stop! Stop!" Dean yelled. "Nobody kill any virgins." Dean looked at his brother. "Sam, I need to talk to you."

Sam followed Dean into the hallway.

"Well," Emily sighed, this is just great.

"So what do we do now?" Henriksen asked.

"I honestly don't know," Emily admitted. "But I know Sam and Dean will come up with something. They always do." She looked at Nancy. "One thing we're not doing though is letting Nancy die."

* * *

Dean came back into the room without Sam.

"Where's Sam?" Emily asked.

"We have a plan," Dean told everyone. "We're gonna fight."

"You really think that'll work?" Officer Amici asked.

"No," Dean admitted. He looked at Ruby. "But it's the best choice we got. Sam's setting up an exorcism on a recording right now. We'll let them all in and play it over the intercom."

Sam walked back in.

"Get the equipment to work?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"So?" Dean asked at his brother's reaction.

"So this is insane," Sam told his brother.

"You win "understatement of the year."," Ruby told him.

"Look, I get it, you think—"

Ruby cut Dean off. "I don't think… I know. It's not gonna work." The demon stood up and walked towards the door. "So long, boys."

"So, you're just gonna leave?" Sam asked.

Ruby turned to face him. "Hey. I was gonna kill myself to help you win. I'm not gonna stand here and watch you lose." She walked closer to Sam. "And I'm disappointed because I tried. I really did, but clearly, I bet on the wrong horse." When Sam didn't reply, Ruby asked, "do you mind letting me out?"

Sam went with Ruby to let her out of the building.

* * *

"Alright," Dean said when Sam returned, "here's the plan. Break the traps and the salt lines. Open the doors, kill as many as you can, and once they're all in, trap them in the building and play the exorcism."

"Will this really work?" Henriksen asked.

"It should," Dean answered hesitantly. "Sam, you stay behind in the office, Emily, you stay with me. Henriksen, take the other exit door. Whoever reaches the audio room first, play the tape."

"I wanna help too," Nancy spoke up.

"No, it's too dangerous," Dean replied.

"Someone's gonna have to trap the demons in the building once they're all in," Nancy insisted. "I can do this."

Dean looked at her, thinking it over.

"I'll go with her," officer Amici offered. "Keep her safe."

"Alright," Dean finally nodded. "But be careful."

Nancy nodded and left the room with the officer.

Emily sighed, grabbing her gun. "Let's do this."

Everyone hurried to their designated spots.

"All set?" Dean shouted.

"Yeah!" Sam's reply came.

"Ready!" Henriksen yelled.

"You ready?" Dean asked Emily.

Emily cocked her gun. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's do this," Dean shouted down the hall. Dean scraped the paint away from the demon trap and Emily broke the salt line. The two of them threw the doors open the two hunters readied their guns.

Emily and Dean backed away from the door, ready for any demons who might come in. A shot was heard from down the hall and soon after, demons started rushing in. The two hunters took turns shooting them down as they backed down the hall. More shots were heard from various parts of the building. Dean and Emily continued to move back down the hall, colliding with Henriksen as he came down another hallway.

While Dean was reloading his gun, Emily took the opportunity to shoot more demons. Dean finished reloading and took a shot.

"Go! Go! Go!" Dean yelled.

Henriksen ran down another hall, towards the audio room while Emily and Dean ran towards the office.

* * *

Fighting demons down the hallway, they finally reached the office, where Sam was splashing demons with holy water.

The three hunters began splashing several demons who had gathered in the office with holy water. Eventually, however, the flasks ran out.

A demon with red hair climbed over a desk, walking towards Sam. She held out a hand and the three hunters were thrown against a wall, unable to move.

"Henriksen, now!" Dean yelled.

A moment later, the intercom turned on.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus," Sam's voice came over the speaker, "omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te, cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis, humiliare sub potenti manu dei."

The demons began to flail and covered their ears. Many of them ran to the doors and began pounding on them to get out. Black smoke began to pour from their mouths as the exorcism continued. A large cloud of black smoke began to swirl around on the ceiling.

"Contremisce et effuge," the recording continued, "invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomini quem inferi tremunt ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, domine. exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!"

There was an explosion of light on the ceiling, and everything went still. Sam, Dean, and Emily slid down the wall to the floor and looked at each other. They got to their feet, groaning, as Henriksen came back into the office. The agent chuckled as he wiped the blood from his lips. The people who were possessed began to stand up and the electricity flickered back on.

* * *

"I better call in," Henriksen said later, once all the formerly possessed people had been given any medical treatment they needed. "Hell of a story I won't be telling."

"So what are you gonna tell them?" Sam asked.

"The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes," Henriksen scoffed.

"Good luck with that," Dean nodded. "Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?"

"I'm gonna kill you," Henriksen replied firmly.

The three hunters gave each other a worried look.

"Sam and Dean Winchester were in the chopper when it caught on fire," Henriksen continued. "Nothing left. Can't even identify them with dental records. Rest in peace, guys."

The hunters shook hands with Henriksen.

"Now get out of here," Henriksen chuckled.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, and they left.

* * *

**February 16th, 2008 - The Wagon Trail Motel**

The next morning, Sam, Dean, and Emily were in their motel room when there was a knock on the door. Dean opened it up to reveal Ruby.

"Turn on the news," Ruby instructed, walking into the room.

Sam turned on the TV. A news reporter was standing in front of the police precinct, which looked like it had burnt down.

"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago," the reporter announced. "Authorities believe a gas main ruptured causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside. Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff, including sheriff Melvin Dodd, deputy Phil Amici, and secretary Nancy Fitzgerald as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen." Pictures of the deceased appeared on screen as their names were read. "Two fugitives in custody were also killed. We'll continue to follow the story here at the scene, but for now, back to you, Jim."

Ruby turned off the TV and looked at the hunters.

"Must have happened right after we left," Sam muttered.

"Considering the size of the blast," Ruby tossed them each hex bags, "smart money's on Lilith."

"What's in these?" Dean asked.

"Something that'll protect you," Ruby replied. "Throw Lilith off your trail… for the time being, at least."

"Thanks," Sam nodded.

"Don't thank me," Ruby snapped. "Lilith killed everyone. She slaughtered your precious little virgin, plus a half a dozen other people. So after your big speech about humanity and war, turns out your plan was the one with the body count," the demon yelled. Ruby lowered her voice. "Do you know how to run a battle? You strike fast and you don't leave any survivors. So no one can go running to tell the boss. So next time… we go with my plan." Not giving anyone a chance to say anything else, Ruby left, slamming the door behind her.


	7. Secrets in the World

**February 21st, 2008 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Emily, or Amelia, or whatever her name was, was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling from her bed in Bobby's house. After the whole ordeal at the police station, Sam and Dean had figured she might need a little break and had dropped her off at Bobby's for a bit. That was a week ago and she hadn't heard anything from them since.

Bobby had left a couple of days ago before she had even woken up. The old hunter had called in later that day to tell her he was working a case in Cincinnati and wouldn't be back for almost a week, which gave her free reign of the entire house during that time.

Currently, she was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling while eating a slice from a pizza that she had ordered. In other words, she was bored. She didn't have much to do in terms of entertainment. There was Bobby's computer, but there was only so much she could do on the internet in 2008.

"Who died?" a familiar voice joked.

Emily looked up to see a certain archangel leaning against the wall, looking concerned. "Hey Gabe!" she greeted. "I'm just bored. Been here by myself for the past few days. What are you doing here?"

"I mean, I can leave," the archangel teased, "but I wanted to ask you something first." He was holding a book and Emily immediately recognized the title. It was 'All Hell Breaks Loose.' One of Chuck's books.

Emily sat up, now curious about what Chuck had written into the book about her. "What's up?"

"Well, one," Gabe began, holding up a finger, "What is this? And two," Gabe held up another finger, "Why didn't you tell me you had powers?"

"Well, one," Emily repeated, holding up a finger, "it's called a book, and two," she held up another finger, "emphasis on had. I haven't been able to use them since I was probably ten or eleven."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know what a book is. And what do you mean?"

"I don't know," Emily shrugged. "One day I woke up and they were just gone."

"You know you still have them right?" Gabe asked. "I can feel them. I wouldn't be able to if they were just gone completely."

Emily scoffed. "Great. So I have them, but I can't use them." She shrugged. "Awesome."

"How did you use them before?"

"I don't think I had full control over them before I stopped being able to use them. But I do remember that the happier I was, the easier it was for me to use them."

"So you're not happy anymore?" Gabe asked.

Emily looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I have been for a while." She scoffed. "This is stupid though. You don't wanna hear my sob story."

"I would have stopped you if I didn't. I told you I would help you as long as you didn't reveal who I was, which you haven't, and I intend to keep that promise."

Emily cocked an eyebrow. She waved a hand around, gesturing as she spoke. "I thought you were only going to help me with finding out why I was brought here."

Gabriel nodded. "And now I'm going to help you with this. So come on," Gabe waved a hand around, "What happened with your powers?"

Emily told the archangel everything. Growing up in an orphanage for seventeen years, discovering at the age of four that she could move things with her mind, how the other girls in the home helped her keep it a secret and learn to control them. She told him about how, when they needed entertainment, she would make the piano play itself and eventually learned how to use her powers on herself and the other girls so they could dance in the air. Emily told the archangel about how, after several years at the orphanage, she had begun losing hope about ever getting out of there because "who would want to adopt a teenager." She told him about being devastated when she woke up one day and found out that the one thing she thought made her unique was gone. Emily told him about how she tried desperately to get them to work, to no avail. How six or seven years later, she thought they were just gone for good, never to return. Learning that her foster mom, who she had never told about her powers, had revealed when she was seventeen that she knew about them the whole time.

"And that's about it," Emily finally concluded. "The next day, I woke up in this universe and I've been here ever since."

"Holy shit, kid," Gabriel said when she finished.

Emily shrugged. "Yeah, well..." she trailed off.

"Well maybe you just need to learn how to control them again," Gabriel suggested. "Like I said, you still have them. They're pretty weak because they haven't been used since you were a kid, but they're there. Maybe I can help you out."

"You'd do that?" Emily asked, standing up.

"You don't tell Sam and Dean who I am, and I help you out. That was the deal, remember?"

Emily nodded. "I remember. So what's the plan?"

"Think fast!"

Before Emily had a chance to register what Gabe has said, she saw the blur of the book he had been holding, flying across the room towards her. Emily did the very first thing that came to mind and decided to try and shield her face with her arms.

"Stop it!" she yelled as she waited for the book to hit its target. "What the hell are you doing?"

She waited for the book to hit her arms or any other part of her body, but it never came. Assuming Gabe had missed, she slowly lowered her arms. As soon as she did, she heard the thud of a book hitting the ground.

"Hey, it worked!" the archangel exclaimed.

"What worked?"

"You stopped the book without even touching it," Gabe pointed out. "You were so freaked out about it hitting you, that you wanted it to stop, and it did."

Emily picked up the book, throwing it hard towards the archangel. "That was your big plan?" she asked. "What if it didn't work?"

"Well, then you would have gotten hit in the arms with a paperback book. Besides, it did work!"

"You're an idiot," Emily shook her head.

"Well, hey, at least now, you know I wasn't lying about you still having your powers."

"I never said I didn't believe you," Emily pointed out.

"I know," Gabe replied. "We just need to get them to control them well enough that a sudden surge of emotions doesn't trigger them. And I know exactly where we can go to do that."

"Where's that?" Emily asked.

Gabe walked forward until he was standing next to her. "Come on." He took Emily by the arm and a flutter of wings later, they were standing in what appeared to be an old, possibly abandoned, warehouse.

Emily looked around, slightly startled by her sudden location change The tin walls were rusted from the rain and many damaged boxes lined the edge of the wooden floor.

"So, where are we?" Emily asked after gathering her bearings.

"Some old warehouse I found," Gabe replied. "I'm sure whoever was using it won't mind. Doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while."

Emily brushed her hair out of her face. "No, I guess not. So how are we doing this?"

"Well," Gabe began, "Right now we should just work on getting you to be able to use your powers without having to get all emotional." He used his own angel powers to levitate a nearby box. "It just takes focus. And lucky for you, since I can do the same thing you can, it'll be easy for me to help you out." The archangel put the box back on the ground. "Back at the house, when I threw the book at you, the first thing you did was yell at me to stop, and that caused the book to stop in the air, even though you didn't see it."

"Well I was a little freaked out about possibly getting hit in the face," Emily defended.

"That's my point," Gabe continued. "If we can get it so you can control them a hundred percent, you'll be good to go. Here just," Gabe looked around, pointing at a small box, "focus on that. Try and get it to move, even just a little."

Emily scoffed in frustration. "Gabe, come on, this is stupid."

"Just try. Please?"

Emily sighed. "Alright." She looked at the box that Gabriel was pointing to. Taking a deep breath, she began to focus on it. She imagined it moving towards her. Pictured some sort of string or rope on it, dragging it across the floor.

Finally, after she was almost at the point of giving up, the box suddenly moved a foot towards her, breaking her concentration.

Gabe gave her a high-five. "Nice job!"

"Thanks!" Emily smiled.

They spent some more time practicing Emily's powers. After about an hour, she was almost able to use them exactly how she had been able to all those years ago.

"Come on," Gabe said, getting her attention, "You look like you could use a break."

The archangel conjured up a box of donuts, taking one for himself. Emily laughed at his antics while helping herself to one too, sitting next to Gabe on some steps.

"So, I have a question," Gabe said after a moment, "how did you manage to keep your powers a secret when you were a kid?"

"I kind of didn't," Emily admitted. "Not completely anyways. I was only four when I discovered my powers. The other kids in the orphanage found out almost instantly because I was freaking out so much. They were all really accepting of them and the older kids, the ones who were already in their teens, helped me learn how to control them. As much as they could, at least."

"And your foster mom? How did she find out?"

"I'm not entirely sure how or when she found out. We decided against telling her because, in our minds, we were afraid she would send me away. The kids there had no problem with my powers, but we weren't sure how adults would react. But when I was seventeen, the night before I ended up here, she revealed that she had known about them for a long time. Told me I wasn't as good at keeping secrets back then as I thought." Emily smiled a little. "When I was probably six or seven, I figured out how to use my powers to make myself and the other kids float around in the air. We would dance around to music whenever we were bored. It was how we all bonded while we were growing up. It brought us closer together."

"You could actually do that?" Gabe asked.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. I can't remember how I did it, exactly, but I did."

"Do you think you'll ever be able to do that again sometime?"

Emily thought about it for a moment. "Probably," she finally nodded. "I mean, I did it before. Who's to say I won't be able to again?" She yawned, feeling sleepy from practicing her powers.

Gabe chuckled a little. "Come on," he said, standing up and offering Emily a hand. "Let's get you home so you can get some sleep."

Emily took the archangel's hand, letting him help her up. She barely noticed when Gabriel flew them back to Bobby's house. She climbed into bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Gabe told her before she drifted off. "Keep practicing your powers when you get a chance, and if you ever need me, just call."

Emily nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open anymore. "Night Gabe," she whispered.

"Night kiddo." With a final flutter of wings, Gabe left.

Lying her head down on the pillow, Emily closed her eyes, finally getting some sleep for the night.


	8. Ghostfacers

**February 28th, 2008 - Appleton, Wisconsin**

Emily was sitting in the backseat of the Impala as Dean drove down the road. The Winchester brothers had come by to pick her up for their latest hunt after she insisted that she was ready again. It had been about a week since Gabriel had helped her get her powers back but she hadn't gotten around to telling Sam and Dean yet. She had been practicing a lot though, whenever she had a chance.

The three hunters were on their way to Appleton, Wisconsin. Dean had insisted they hunt the Morton ghost, a ghost that only appeared on February 29th, stating it would be fun. Sam had tried to protest, saying they should keep trying to get Dean out of his deal, but the older Winchester had eventually won and, after a bit of research, they got into the Impala and headed down the road.

They drove to the Morton house late that night to scope it out. Dean blasted "We're an American Band," on the radio as he slowly drove past. Emily saw some bushes rustle near the main gate and sighed to herself. She leaned forward from the backseat.

"Oh great," she groaned. "Those Ghostfacer guys are here. I completely forgot about that."

"Ghostfacer guys?" Sam asked.

"Oh right," Emily mentally facepalmed. "I forgot they went by something else the last time you saw them. They ran a hellhound site, I think, last time you ran into them."

"Those goofballs from Texas?" Dean asked. "With the tulpa?"

Emily nodded. "Yep."

"Damn it!" Dean hit the steering wheel. "They're gonna get themselves killed in there." He drove the Impala around the back of the house, hiding it amongst some trees before they gathered their gear.

"Hey, uh, I need to tell you guys something," Emily said as they got ready.

"Is it important?" Dean asked. "I mean, can it wait until we save these idiots?"

"Uh, yeah," Emily nodded. "I guess it can wait." She sighed as she followed the boys into the house, flashlights lighting the way. She'd tell them about having her powers back later.

They walked through the house in silence. Voices could be heard in another room, and Dean gestured to Emily to keep quiet while they dealt with the Ghostfacers.

The three hunters walked into the kitchen, lighting up the faces of the wannabe ghost hunters. There were two guys standing in the kitchen. Both of them had GoPros and headlamps strapped to their heads.

"Freeze!" Dean yelled in his authoritative voice. "Police officers! Don't move!"

"All right. All right. All right," Sam continued as the Ghostfacers began to visibly panic. "Take it easy, take it easy."

"Let's see some identification," Dean ordered.

"Come on. Let's see some I.D," Sam held out his hand.

"What - are we under - under arrest?" One of the guys asked as he handed over his license.

"We are unarmed," the other guy continued.

"Oh, god. Oh, god."

Dean nudged the license towards the first man as he looked it over. "Want to explain that weirdo outfit, Mr., uh, Corbett?"

"I know you," the second guy said suddenly.

"Yeah, sure you do," Dean scoffed. "Give me some identification."

"Yeah, ho- whoa, hold on a second. I know the both of you guys. Yeah," the second guy realized.

"What?" Corbett asked his friend.

"Yeah, huh."

"Holy shit!" Sam sighed, looking at Dean. "Emily was right."

"Did you doubt me?" Emily asked, making her presence known.

Corbett turned to face her. "You know us?"

"The idiots that almost got my friends here killed a while back?" Emily asked. "Yeah, I know you. Not a fan."

"Oh."

"Wait, wait wait. Hold on. What?" Dean asked.

"I told you," Emily repeated. "Those dorks with the Tulpa you guys dealt with are here."

"Fuck me," Dean sighed.

"Yeah, we're not hellhounds anymore, okay?" The second guy said. "It didn't test that well."

"Ed, what's going on?" Corbett asked.

"They're not cops, buddy," Ed reassured his friend. "No, not at all."

"Ed, Ed, you had a partner, too, didn't you?" Dean asked. "A different guy?"

Ed nodded. "Oh, yeah, yeah."

"Is he around here somewhere?" Dean asked.

"He's running around, chasing ghosts," Ed informed the hunter.

"Okay, well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get out of here," Dean ordered.

"All right. Listen here, chisel chest, okay?" Ed argued. "We were here first. We've already set up base camp. We beat you."

Dean turned to his brother. "They were here first," he said mockingly.

"Mm hmm," Ed nodded smugly.

"Oh well, in that case," Emily replied sarcastically. "We should totally just let them have the whole place to themselves."

Dean grabbed Ed, spinning him around to look at the now fearful man in the eyes.

"Oh, god," Ed whimpered.

"Ed," Dean snapped.

"Yeah?"

"Where's your partner?"

Ed gulped, before pointing at the ceiling. "Upstairs."

Everybody walked into the living room.

"What are you doing in the Morton House, Ed," Dean snapped. "On leap year - what are you thinking?"

"We're here to spend the night, okay?" Ed admitted. "It's for our TV show."

"What?" Sam asked. The younger Winchester scoffed. "Great. Perfect."

"Yeah, nobody's ever spent the night before," Corbett added.

"Hate to break it to you," Emily spoke, "but people actually have."

"Uh, we've never heard of them," Ed argued.

"Yeah, you know why?" Dean asked. "'Cause the ones that have, haven't lived to talk about it!"

"Oh, come on, I don't believe you."

"Look," Sam pulled out missing persons reports they had found earlier, "missing-persons reports going back almost a half century. John Graham stayed on a dare - gone. Julie Wilkerson - gone. There are tons more. All of them came to just stay the night through, always on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner, Freeman Daggett." He flipped through the pages as he read off the names, handing them to Ed when he finished.

Ed looked at the reports. "These look legit."

Sam took them back. "They are legit. Look, Ed, we ain't got much time here, buddy. Starting at midnight, your friends are going to die."

At that moment, three more people, two guys and a girl, ran down the stairs and into the living room.

"Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god," one of the guys, who Emily recognized as Harry, yelled frantically. He had a GoPro strapped to his head like Ed and Corbett. "Guys! Guys! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! We got one! Corbett! Corbett, we saw one! We saw one. It was a full apparition! It was like a class four. It was a spectral illumination! It," he suddenly stopped, turning his head towards Sam, Dean, and Emily.

'Hey, aren't those the assholes from Texas?"

"Yes," Ed nodded.

"Who's the girl?"

"I'm Em-," Emily stopped herself, suddenly wanting to try out her birth name instead, "I'm Amy."

Sam and Dean looked at her for a moment. They looked at each other before Dean turned back to the Ghostfacers. "All right, let's have this reunion across the street, guys."

"Crap," the guy who was yelling frantically before sighed. "What are you guys doing here?"

Dean began trying to push the group towards the door. "Come on, come on. We'll get you ice cream - our treat. What do you say? Let's go."

The guy who had run down the stairs yelling, held up a hand, "Yeah, I say no."

The girl who had run down the stairs with them, showed Ed her laptop. "Look at this. Look, look," she said, pointing at the screen frantically. "Ed, Ed. No. No. Look at this. Okay, honest-to-god proof, all right?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ed asked.

Ed's partner shook his head. "Yeah. no, not kidding."

"What kind of reading did we get?" The fourth guy asked.

"Uh, it was a 10.9."

"10.9?" Ed repeated.

"Yeah, it was 10.9. It was almost 11," Harry replied. "I came out, and I was like, "what's going on?" And I was like - wait, watch this. Oh! He got blasted. It was crazy."

Sam pulled Dean and Emily away from the group and into the hallway.

"Think we were off on this?" Sam asked. "I mean, that was just a death echo."

"Yeah, but what's it doing here?" Dean asked. "Did anybody get shot here?"

"I couldn't find anything," Emily replied.

"Neither could I," Sam continued.

"What's a death echo?" A voice asked. Emily looked over to see one of the Ghostfacers pointing a camera at them.

Sam walked back towards the group. "Look, we got a problem here," he informed them. "That ghost ain't it."

"Yeah, that's real," Harry replied, voice trembling with panic. "Like, that happened."

"What's a death echo?" The guy with the camera repeated.

"Echoes are trapped in a loop, okay?" Dean replied. "They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again, usually in the place where they were ganked. It's about as dangerous as a scary movie."

"So maybe the echo's not dangerous, but maybe something else is," Sam suggested.

"What are all these echoes doing here anyway?" Emily asked. "None of those deaths even happened here."

Dean seemed to think for a moment. "All right," he finally said, "we need to get out of here, guys. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Pack it up."

"Guys, time is running out!" Sam yelled when nobody budged.

"We're moving!" Dean barked.

"What about all of our equipment?" The girl asked. "What are we gonna..."

"Lots of fun," Dean interrupted. "Let's go."

"We got more material," Harry argued. "We got all kinds of stuff. We'll make you guys recurring guest stars."

"Wait! Wait!" Ed yelled, stopping everyone. "Where's Corbett?" He looked around the room, where Corbett seemed to have disappeared from. "No man left behind."

A sudden scream of anguish could be heard in the distance, somewhere in the house.

"That was Corbett," Ed realized.

"That was Corbett!" Harry repeated. "Corbett!"

"Corbett! it's okay!" The girl called. The three Ghostfacers tried to run upstairs, while Sam, and Dean tried to stop them.

"We'll get him! Go back!" Dean yelled.

"Guys!" Sam yelled. "Crap!" Emily followed as the Ghostfacers ignored the Winchesters and kept running.

"No! Where are you, dude?" Ed called out. The remaining Ghostfacers began calling out for the other.

"Tell us where you are!"

"Corbett!"

"Let me go!" Corbett yelled from a distance. "Guys!"

"Corbett, you need to come back, Corbett," Ed yelled.

Corbett began screaming in anguish. Loudly at first, but then it began to fade away.

At that moment, Dean stepped in. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Come on," he pointed a finger back down the stairs.

"Corbett's," Sam hesitated, looking for the words. "He's not here. Let's go. Let's go." He gestured the group back down the stairs.

"No. No. No. But that's Corbett," Harry protested, trying to fight his way back. "No, that was Corbett. Didn't you hear that?"

"Go, go, go, come on," Dean shouted, practically dragging Harry down the stairs while Sam and Emily kept the others from going back up.

"Guys. Guys. Guys," one of the 'facers said desperately. "He's that way."

"Here we go. Here we go," Sam continued. "Keep it moving. Keep it moving."

"Corbett?" Ed called, looking back down the hallway.

Emily stepped in front of him. "Come on, let's go," she told him, pushing the man down the hall with the others.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sam told Dean, pointing at Harry, who had stopped to film everyone on his camera. "Watch him. Watch him."

Dean hit Harry with his flashlight. "Go. Go. Move. Move." He put a hand over the camera. "Turn it off!"

Harry reluctantly turned the camera off, following the others down the stairs.

* * *

**February 29th, 2008 - Morton house**

Sam led Emily and Dean to the front door, while the Ghostfacers reviewed footage in the living room. The younger Winchester tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Emily sighed "Now what?"

"Well, it's 12:04, Dean. You good? You happy?" he asked angrily.

"Yeah, I am happy," Dean snapped.

"Let's go hunt the Morton house," you said," Sam yelled, "it's our Grand Canyon."."

Dean turned away. "Sam, I don't want to hear this."

"You got two months left, Dean. Instead, we're gonna die tonight." Sam angrily picked up a chair, smashing it against the door.

"Whoa! what the hell is going on guys?" The Ghostfacers yelled as they scrambled into the room.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Sam huffed. "Every door, every window, I'm guessing every exit out of this house - they're all sealed."

"But w-why are they sealed?" The female 'facer asked.

"It's a supernatural lockdown, okay?" Dean replied. "Whatever took Corbett doesn't want us to leave, and it's no death echo. This is a bad mother, and it wants us scared."

"Or it just wants us."

A loud warbling sound started coming from the EMF detector.

"Uh, guys," one of the Ghostfacers mentioned, "the camera's fritzing again."

"Whoa. Whoa. Guys, the EMF's starting to spike," Ed informed them. "This is a big one!"

"Everybody, stay close," Sam instructed as everyone huddled together in the corner. "There's something coming."

A man suddenly appeared in front of them, startling almost everyone.

"Is this the same echo you guys saw earlier?" Dean asked.

"No, it's a different guy."

Dean ran towards the echo, shouting at it. "Hey, buddy! Hey. Hey. Wake up. You're dead! Hello!"

"What's he doing?" Harry asked. "What's he doing?"

"Trying to talk to it," Emily spoke. "Sometimes you can shock an echo out of it's loop. It's rare, but it is possible."

"Usually you have to have some kind of connection to the deceased, though," Sam added.

"Come on! Wake up! Be dead!" Dean continued.

Off in the distance, Emily could hear the faint sound of something. She didn't know what though.

"You guys hear that?" Harry asked.

"What's that sound?" Ed asked at the same time.

"It almost sounds like a train," Emily noticed.

Dean was still trying to get through to the echo. "Snap out of it, buddy, huh? Come on, what are you waiting for? You're gonzo! You're dead!"

As Dean was talking to the apparition, a bright light seemed to get closer to the man. The apparition turned around, only to fly backwards through the air, like it had just been hit by a vehicle.

"Where the hell did it go?" Ed asked.

"Gone," Dean said, "For now."

"Great," Emily sighed, "Now what?"

"Alright, uh," Sam thought for a moment, "Everyone upstairs. There's gotta be some answers around here somewhere."

The three hunters led the Ghostfacers down the hall on the second floor.

"Dude, there's no records of any of this here," Dean snapped. "No one got shot here. Obviously, no one got run over by a freaking train."

"Maybe they didn't die here," Emily pointed out. "Not at the house anyway."

"Stay close." Sam turned to Emily. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, we all know that a ghost is usually tied to something. A place or an object, right?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other, then back at Emily.

"So what?" Dean asked. "You think something from each of the victims is here?"

Emily shrugged. "I didn't see any records of a train running through the house, so I think so. Probably. The question though, is what?"

"Did the echoes take Corbett?" The female Ghostfacer spoke up.

"Yes," Dean replied quickly. He quickly backtracked. "No. I don't know. We don't know what's doing what here; that's what we're trying to figure out, okay?"

"Okay, look, um, death echoes are ghosts, okay?" Sam informed her. "Now, ghosts - they usually haunt places where they lived or where they died."

"Except these mooks didn't live or die here," Dean continued.

Sam nodded. "Right."

"So we think that something that might have belonged to the victims might be in the house somewhere," Emily finished.

The group continued to walk down the hall, finally coming across a room full of stuffed animal heads on the walls and filing cabinets.

Sam held up a certificate in a broken frame. "Freeman Daggett," he read, "house's last owner, officially commended for 20 years of fine service at the Gamble General Hospital."

"He was a doctor?" Dean asked.

"Janitor," Sam corrected.

"This looks like his den," Dean said, shining his flashlight around. "When'd you say he died - '64?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "Heart attack."

"What are these, c-rations?" Someone asked.

"Yeah, army-issued," Dean replied, picking one up, "three squares - like a lifetime supply."

"God, is that all he ate?"

"One-stop shopping." Dean's eye caught sight of a safe in the corner. "Hello, locked," he beamed, heading towards it.

"Oh, come on, guys. This is ridiculous," Ed scoffed. "I mean, how the hell is this supposed to find Corbett, huh? We should be digging up the friggin' floorboards right now."

"Huh," Sam said, holding up a dusty pamphlet. ""Survival Under Atomic Attack." An optimist."

There was a loud bang as Dean got the safe open. He started leafing through its contents. "Crap. Crap. Taxidermy." He stopped. "Okay. You said Daggett was a hospital janitor?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Ewww," Dean groaned as he pulled something out. "Got three toe tags here - one, death by gunshots, train accident, and suicide."

"Ewwwwww!" Sam groaned in disgust.

"Well, looks like I was right," Emily grimaced. "There is something here keeping the ghosts from leaving. The bodies of the victims."

What?" Harry asked.

"Daggett brought the remains home from the morgue," Dean explained. "To play."

"Ewwwwwwwwww! Ugh!" Harry and Ed groaned simultaneously.

"That's nasty, dude."

"Right," Sam nodded.

"Wait a minute," Dean stopped, looking around. "Where's the girl?"

"Maggie?" Harry asked. It was then that she noticed the female Ghostfacer was missing. "Oh god, where is she?"

"Hold on," Dean instructed. "She can't have gone far. I'll find her."

Dean left the room, coming back a moment later with Maggie.

"Maggie? Maggie?" Harry called out.

"She's fine," Dean informed him.

"Harry. Harry, I got an 8.6 and climbing fast," Ed informed his partner. "Something huge is coming. Look." He showed him the EMF meter. 'Something big is coming."

Harry looked at the meter. "It's past 11, you guys," he read.

"What?" Dean asked, concerned. "Nobody move! Hold on. Hold on. Stay quiet."

The lights began to flicker around the room as the air grew colder. Emily moved next to Sam, ready for any incoming threat. Suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

Emily woke up in a dark room, barely able to see anything. She tried to move, but found herself tied to a chair. "It's My Party" by Leslie Gore was playing faintly over some speakers in the room. She looked around, spotting Corbett to her left, also tied up. He was slumped over, like he had recently been knocked out.

"Corbett?" She asked, trying to get the man's attention. "Hey! Wake up!" Emily looked to her right, now spotting Sam. "Sam!"

Looking around, Emily spotted a small book in the corner. Using her powers, she threw the book at Sam's head.

"Huh?" Sam jolted awake. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Emily admitted. "Corbett? You awake?"

"Amy?" Corbett's voice asked groggily in the dark. "Sam?"

"Hey, yeah, we're here," Emily sighed in relief.

"Corbett, hey," Sam spoke up, "you got to keep listening to my voice, okay? We're right here. Stay awake."

"Don't listen," a raspy voice said. The ghost of an old man appeared, picking up a knife. "It stops hurting so, don't worry."

Emily focused on the knife as Daggett approached Corbett.

"Corbett, stay with me. Stay with me, you got it? I'm right here. Hey. Stay with me," Sam panicked. Daggett raised the knife. "Don't. Don't."

Daggett brought the knife down as Emily willed it out of his hands. Instead of hitting Corbett, the knife flew into the wall.

"What the hell?" she heard Sam ask.

Daggett looked at the young girl, as she began to panic. "You really shouldn't have done that." He began to approach her.

"Emily?" Sam asked, trying to break free of the ropes tying him to the chair. "Stay away from her!"

Emily began to look around the room, trying to find anything iron. Even if it was across the room, she could use it. She quickly spotted an iron rod, propped up against the wall directly across from her. Focusing on it, she used her powers to throw it straight through Daggett, making him disappear.

"How did you-" Sam asked, unable to finish.

"Remember when I met you, and I told you about my powers?"

"You said you didn't have them anymore."

"I thought I didn't," Emily admitted. "But about a week ago, I figured out how to use them again. Turns out I didn't lose them, I just needed to remember how to use them."

"You could have told us!" Sam shouted.

"Can we not do this now?" Emily asked. "Dagger could be back at any moment and we need to get out of here." She used her powers to untie the ropes behind her and stood up, untying Sam as well. The younger Winchester instantly went over to Corbett, feeling his pulse.

"He's alive. Barely." Sam untied Corbett. "Let's find a way out of here."

"From what I remember, in this episode," Emily recalled, "there should be a door around here somewhere."

"Here," Sam drew her attention to him. He pointed to a metal door, walking over to it, and trying the doorknob. "Something's blocking it."

"Here," Emily stepped up. "Let me try."

Sam stepped back to give her space. Using her powers once more, Emily quickly moved whatever was blocking the door out of the way, opening up their exit.

Sam gasped. "Okay, uh," he turned around, picking up Corbett from the seat he was still slumped in. "Let's go find Dean and the others."

Emily followed the younger Winchester down the hall.

"Okay, so," Sam began, "why didn't you tell us your powers were back?"

"I was working up to it," Emily sighed. "I only just got them back a week ago and you guys weren't around for me to tell you. I couldn't exactly pick up the phone and tell you over a text or call. And then I was going to tell you outside when we got here..."

"Oh," Sam said, "Right." Suddenly, Sam stopped. "Hold up," he instructed.

A faint light could be seen around the corner, getting closer.

"Dean?" Sam called. "That you?"

"Sammy?" Dean's voice answered from around the corner.

"Dean!" Sam began heading down the hall. Emily quickly followed.

They ran into Dean and the rest of the Ghostfacers around the corner.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Dean asked.

"Corbett?" Ed asked, before Sam or Emily had a chance to respond. "Oh my god, Corbett!"

"He's fine," Sam said. "He's alive. We're all okay."

"How'd you guys get out?" Dean asked as they began to walk back to the living room.

Sam looked at Emily. "Uhh..."

"I got us out," Emily admitted.

"What?" Dean looked at his brother, who nodded. "How?"

Emily sighed. She didn't really want to reveal her powers to the Ghostfacers, but they were bound to find out tonight anyway. She levitated a piece of wood slightly off the ground, before putting it back down.

"What the hell?" Harry asked.

"What the hell, is right?" Dean agreed.

"I'll tell you everything later," Emily promised. "But right now, we got the pissed off ghost of Daggett wandering around."

"Emily's right," Sam nodded. "We still gotta find the body and burn it."

"Well we don't know where that is," Dean said, "and all the doors are locked so if it's in a cemetery, there's no way we can get to it."

"Well how did we do it last time? Emily?"

Emily thought for a moment. She had only seen this episode once but she knew the Winchesters and Ghostfacers must have beaten Daggett somehow. She just couldn't remember-

"Oh crap," Emily realized.

"What?" Ed asked.

"In the original episode," Emily sighed, "Corbett's ghost defeated Daggett."

Dean threw his arms up in the air, turning away from the group. "Great! Now what?"

"Those files we found on Daggett," Emily recalled, "didn't they say he was cremated?"

Sam nodded. "Uh, yeah."

"Well, maybe something of his is still here," Emily suggested. "In the house."

"Yeah, but where?" Dean asked. "We don't have time to search every inch of this place, and we don't have time to do more research on him."

"He took us to some underground room," Sam recalled. "Maybe there's something there."

"Alright," Dean agreed. "You guys lead the way."

"Woah, woah woah!" Harry said frantically, stopping Dean, "You wanna go back there?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded, looking at Harry as if it was obvious. "Let's move!"

"Wait, hold on," Emily spoke up. She looked over at Corbett, who was lying on the couch, weak from the encounter with Daggett. "Shouldn't someone stay with him? In case Daggett comes back to finish the job?"

"She's got a point," Sam admitted.

"Okay," Dean nodded. He handed Emily a shotgun. "You stay with him. Make sure he stays safe."

"I'm staying, too," Ed declared.

Dean sighed. "Okay. My duffle is in the other room. Make a salt circle if you need to. We shouldn't be gone long."

"I'll hold you to that," Emily smirked. "Now, get out of here, Winchester."

Sam, Dean, and the rest of the Ghostfacers left the room, leaving Emily, Ed, and Corbett alone. The house seemed eerily quiet now.

* * *

Ed went over and sat on the couch next to Corbett. Now that they were in better lighting, Emily could see that he was in pretty bad shape. His eyes looked swollen and he was bleeding from the top of his head.

"I'm gonna go get that duffle bag," Emily told Ed. "See if there's anything for first-aid in there."

Before Ed could answer, Emily went into the next room, coming back out with Dean's duffle bag. She set it on the floor next to the couch, opening it up.

"What was I thinking?" She sighed. "Of course there wouldn't be a first-aid kit in here." She spotted a towel and pulled it out. "Here," she said, handing it to Ed, "Hold that on the head wound. Try and stop the bleeding. We can get something for his eye once we get out of here."

Ed took the towel, pressing it against Ed's head. "Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose."

"How did you do the-" Ed waved a hand around, trying to find the right words, "you know."

"You mean what I did earlier, after you guys found us?"

Ed nodded.

"I have powers," Emily admitted. "I found out when I was a kid. Then I lost them a few years ago and only just got them back recently."

"Thank you," Ed muttered.

"For what?"

"Saving his life." Ed nudged his head towards Corbett, who groaned. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

"It was the least I could do," Emily smiled.

The moment was soon lost as the lights began to flicker around the room. Emily cocked the shotgun, looking around the room for Daggett. There was a flicker as he appeared next to her, and the young girl wasted no time shooting him full of rock salt.

"Emily, hey," Sam's voice could be heard over Ed's walkie talkie, "We heard a shot. You guys okay?"

Ed handed Emily the radio. "We're fine. Daggett's here though. You guys find anything?"

"We're still looking."

"Well hurry up." Emily put the radio down to shoot Daggett, before picking it up again. "We got company."

Putting down the radio, Emily pumped the shotgun. Daggett was appearing more frequently this time and it was getting harder to keep up. Aiming the gun as Daggett appeared once more, the only thing that happened was the sound of a click. The shotgun was empty and she had no more ammo.

Daggett began to approach as Emily tossed the gun to the side. She quickly grabbed an iron poker, swinging it straight through the ghost. Daggett appeared again, this time facing Ed and Corbett.

"AAAHHHHH!" Ed screamed, trying to back away.

Emily swung the poker through Daggett again. She tossed Ed the salt that was in the duffle bag. "Make a circle and get you and Corbett inside."

Ed quickly got off the couch, making a large circle on the floor. He helped Corbett walk over to the circle and sat him down. "Hey buddy," he whispered. "It's okay. I'm here."

Daggett appeared once more, moving towards Emily. She readied the poker, ready to swing. Before she had a chance to, however, the ghost of Daggett began to scream as it was engulfed in flames. Panting, and shaking slightly, Emily dropped the poker.

"Is he gone?" Ed asked.

Emily nodded. "They did it. It's over."

Footsteps could be heard as Sam, Dean, and the other Ghostfacers ran into the room.

"You guys okay?" Dean asked.

"We're fine," Emily replied. "So, I'm guessing you guys found something to burn?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "That certificate of his."

There was a faint click by where the front door was. Dean went over to it, turning the doorknob. The previously sealed door opened right up. "Let's get out of here."

Dean led everyone out of the house, with Sam carrying Corbett. Ed led Sam to their van so he could lie him down in the back seat. Emily saw him write something on a piece of paper and give it to Ed, before they walked back to the group.

"Hey, so, uh, we still need to edit the footage," Ed began, "but if you guys want to see our first episode, you can come by in a couple days to get an exclusive first look."

Dean looked at the man for a moment, before nodding. "Okay."

"Really?" Emily asked.

Dean shrugged. "Why not? Call us when it's ready and we'll swing by."

Ed nodded. "See you around."

With a wave, he led the rest of the Ghostfacers to the van, before they got in and drove off.

"You know," Emily sighed as she watched them drive off. "I'll be the first to admit. Those guys were actually kinda cool."

"They had their moments," Sam nodded.

Emily began walking back to the Impala.

"Hold on," Dean stopped her. "We gotta talk."

Emily took a deep breath, before turning around. "Okay, look," she said quickly, before Dean could stop her. "I was going to tell you guys I had my powers back, and-"

"Emily-"

"-I know I shouldn't have kept it from you guys, but-"

"Emily-"

"-I was working up how to tell you, and I was going to tell you when we first got here, but then all that stuff started happening with the Ghostfacers-"

"Emily!" Dean's loud voice brought Emily's rambling to a halt. "Sam told me what you did."

"What?"

"He said if it wasn't for you using these powers of yours, Corbett would have died, but thanks to you, you all got out. Now, while I may not be completely on board with you being able to move things just by thinking about it, yet. I can definitely find a way to get used to them."

Emily smiled. "Thanks."

Dean shifted the duffle bag on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

They made their way back to the Impala.

"So, how come you introduced yourself by your birth name earlier?" Sam asked as they packed the car.

"Dunno," Emily admitted. "I wanted to try it out, I guess."

"We could start calling you that, if you'd prefer, now," Dean offered. "It might take some getting used to, but Amy is technically speaking, your real name. If you wanna start going by that, let us know."

Emily thought for a moment, then nodded. "Like you said, Amy is my real name. And to be honest, I kinda like it. It feels good, finally knowing who I am."

Sam and Dean looked at eachother, before Dean looked back at the young girl. "Well then, Amelia Jones it is. Welcome to the family."

Closing the trunk of the Impala, Sam, Dean, and Amy got into the car, driving off to a nearby motel, a small smile on the face of the female hunter as they drove off.

* * *

**March 2nd, 2008 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin**

Two days later, Sam got a call from Ed on his cell. They had finished editing the video and wanted them to come by and see it. The three hunters got in the car and headed over to Ed's house.

Ed led them into the garage when they got there. He didn't say much, but Amy could tell he was excited to show them the footage.

"Where's Corbett?" Amy asked.

"Resting at home," Harry replied. "Thanks to you, of course."

"Okay," Ed drew everyone's attention to him. His laptop was open on the computer, ready to play the video. Everybody gathered around the computer. "Here we go."

* * *

They watched the episode unfold on the computer monitor. They watched the Ghostfacers intro, Corbett getting kidnapped, Sam and Amy getting kidnapped and escaping with Corbett alive.

"Nice moves, kid," Dean complimented as they watched Amy fight the ghost of Daggett.

Ed's voice came on screen. "Leap year, February 29th, the Morton House. A tragic day. A day of souls bound in torment, of lives held in cruel balance. But the Ghostfacers, they did the best that they could."

"We almost lost a beloved friend," Harry continued, "but we also gained new allies."

The scene switched to Harry and Ed sitting in a living room, talking to a camera.

"We know this much: that every day, including today, is a new beginning," Ed said. "We learned more than we can say in the brutal feat of the Morton House."

"The Ghostfacers were forced to face something far more scary than ghosts," Harry continued. "They were forced to face themselves."

"War changes Man."

"And Maggie."

Ed nodded. "War changes man. And one woman," he confirmed. "Corbett was able to hold on for us, even through everything that happened to him. He lived to see another day."

"As far as we're concerned, you're not an intern anymore," Harry confirmed. "You have more than earned full Ghostfacer status."

"Yeah. Heh heh," Ed chuckled. "And here we were thinking that, you know, we were teaching you and all this time you were teaching us, about heart, about dedication, and about how gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day. Thank you, Alan J. Corbett."

The Ghostfacers logo appeared on screen as the episode ended.

"So, guys, what do you think?" Ed asked. "Are you alright?"

"You know, I kind of think it was half-awesome," Dean admitted.

"Half-awesome?" Maggie asked. "That - that's full-on good, right?"

"I'll admit," Amy shrugged. "I kinda liked how bizarre it was."

"Yeah. It's a real tight rope you guys are walking there," Dean nodded.

"Yeah, all right guys." Sam, Dean, and Amy stood up, walking towards the door.

"Nah, that's reality, man," Ed said from behind them. "Yeah, Corbett almost gave his life searching for the truth, and it's our job over here to share it with the world."

Sam nodded. "Right. Well, um, our experience, you know what you get when you show the world the truth?"

"A straitjacket," Dean answered. "Or a punch in the face. Sometimes both."

"Right," Sam nodded.

Harry scoffed. "Oh come on, guys, don't be 'facer haters just because we happen to have gotten the footage of the century."

Ed nodded. "Oh yeah."

Dean chuckled slightly. "You got us there."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, well we'll see you guys around," Dean said as Sam opened the door and led them out.

"Peace out," Spruce said as Ed closed the door behind them.

The three hunters made their way back to the Impala.

"We clean?" Sam asked once they got to the car.

"Nooooooo!" Ed's distressed voice could be heard in the distance. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Electromagnet wiped out every tape and hard drive that they have," Dean replied.

"The world just isn't ready for the Ghostfacers," Sam sighed.

"It's too bad," Dean nodded. "I kinda liked the show."

"Yeah," Amy added. "It definitely had its moments."

"That it did," Sam confirmed as they got into the Impala and drove off.


	9. Long Distance Call

**March 28th, 2008 - Gary, Indiana**

Amy pulled her jacket around her as she stood in line for a hot dog. A little over a week ago, she had started officially going by her birth name. It felt weird at first, suddenly going by a completely different name, but she had gotten pretty used to it. And, she liked her new name. There were a couple of slip-ups here and there from Sam and Dean, but it was far less now than before.

She looked behind her to see Dean on the phone, probably talking to Bobby. She and Dean were waiting for Sam to return. The younger Winchester was currently at a nearby university, questioning a professor about the possible whereabouts of Bela.

The young girl watched as Sam walked by her, heading to talk to Dean. She picked up her hotdog and drink before walking back to the bench that Sam and Dean were talking at.

"What the hell else have we been doing lately other than trying to break your deal?" Sam was asking.

"Chasing our tails, that's what," Dean replied as Amy took a bite of her food. "Sam, we've talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act in the lower forty-eight. Nobody knows squat! And we can't find Bela, we can't find the Colt. So until we actually find something, I'd like to do my job."

"Well there's one thing we haven't tried yet," Sam began.

Dean turned away, shaking his head. "Sam, no."

"We should summon Ruby," Sam suggested.

"Hell no!" Amy blurted out.

"Em-er, Amy's right," Dean agreed, "And I'm not gonna have this fight with you."

"She said she knows how to save you," Sam yelled.

"She's lying," Amy argued. "She can't be trusted. I told you that when you first met her. During that thing with Isaac and Tamara?"

"And she told me," Dean admitted. "Flat out. She can't save me, nobody can."

Sam nodded, glaring daggers at his older brother. "And you just somehow neglected to mention this to me?"

"Well, I really don't care what that bitch thinks and neither should you, so," Dean trailed off.

"So what, now you're keeping secrets from me, Dean?" Sam asked, stopping his brother in his tracks.

Dean turned back around. "You really wanna talk about who's keeping secrets from who?"

Sam didn't respond as he walked past his brother and Amy.

Dean sighed. "Now where are you going?"

Sam threw his hands up. "Guess I'm going to Ohio," he said before tossing his uneaten food in the garbage can and walking off.

"Damn it," Dean groaned. "Come on. We better go."

Amy quickly finished her food before tossing the wrapper in the trash and running off with him after Sam.

* * *

**Milan, Ohio**

It was a four-hour drive to the Waters' residence. Amy was instructed to wait in the car while Sam and Dean went in to talk to the victim's wife. She waited for what felt like an eternity, but after only a short while, they finally came back to the car.

"What did she say?" Amy asked as Sam and Dean got into the front of the car.

"Well, apparently, Ben was talking to someone on the phone named Linda," Sam replied as Dean started the engine and drove away from the house. "The only problem is that when Mrs. Waters picked up another phone to listen in, all she heard was static. We did get this though." He handed Amy a slip of paper, which read "SHA33" on it.

"S-H-A-thirty-three?" Amy asked. "Where did you get this?"

"Off the phone's caller ID," Sam explained. "It was the last number to call before Ben died."

"Weird," Amy muttered.

"Anything you remember that might be able to help us out?" Dean asked, looking at Amy through his rearview mirror.

"Uh, kinda," Amy said. "I don't remember what type of monster it was, but I do remember that it was, or is, I should say, able to mimic the voice of loved ones. Lure them in and then, well, kill them or, I guess in this case, get them to kill themselves."

"You know of anything like that?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam shook his head. "Maybe Bobby does."

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Starburst motel. Sam checked them in and they all headed up to their room.

Sam tossed his bag onto one of the beds. "Okay, I'll call Bobby, see if he knows anything about what we might be hunting. You two see if you can find anything on who Linda is."

"Will do," Amy said as Sam stepped outside.

Dean pulled out Sam's laptop and sat down at the table. "Okay. Let's see what we can find."

He started the search by typing Linda Bateman into the search bar. There were a lot of search results for random people named Linda Bateman, but nothing that seemed to be able to help.

"Wait. There," Amy said, pointing at the screen.

 _ **Linda Bateman Obituary**_.

Dean clicked on the article.

_Tragically, on September 24th, 2005, Linda Bateman was killed in a car crash when a drunk driver hit the car containing Linda and Ben Waters killing Linda instantly and leaving Ben with only a few broken bones. She is survived by her family and boyfriend Ben Waters._

"So Linda was Ben's girlfriend?" Amy asked.

"Looks like it," Dean confirmed as Sam stepped back inside.

"Linda's a babe," Dean told his brother as Sam closed the door to the motel room. "Or, was."

"Did you guys find her?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Linda Bateman. She and Ben Waters were high school sweethearts."

"So what happened?"

"Drunk driver hit them head-on," Dean read. "Ben walked away."

"What did Bobby say?" Amy asked.

"He thinks we might be hunting a crocotta," Sam informed them.

"What is that?" Dean asked.

"They're a type of scavenger," Sam explained. "Like Amy said, they can mimic loved ones and lure them in before killing them."

"Did he say anything about the caller I.D.?" Amy asked.

"Turns out it's a phone number."

"A phone number?" Amy asked. "That number's gotta be ancient."

"It is," Sam nodded. "It's at least a century old. From back when phones had cranks."

"So why would this thing be using that number to call people?"

"Beats me," Sam shrugged.

"Okay, so how are we supposed to find this thing?" Dean asked.

"Well, supposedly they live in filth, but they're best known for saying "come to me" to lure in their victims."

"Oh yeah," Amy replied sarcastically, "That sure narrows it down. How the hell are we gonna find this thing?"

"It would have to be someone who has access to every phone number out there, right?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Right."

"Someone like an employee at the phone company?"

"I mean, maybe, yeah," Amy shrugged. "It seems possible."

"Okay," Dean said as he closed the laptop. "Why don't Amy and I go down to the phone company, see if we can't find out where this thing might be. Sam, you go around and talk to the neighbors. See if anyone else has gotten any weird calls."

Sam nodded. "Sure thing, yeah."

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Amy got ready to go and headed out to the Impala. Dean dropped Sam off at a rental car place and he and Amy headed down to the local phone company to get some answers.

"Let me do most of the talking," Dean instructed as he parked the Impala.

"Aye-aye," Amy mumbled, giving Dean a mock salute.

Dean led Amy into the main office for the phone company.

"Good morning," the desk clerk greeted. "How can I help you two?"

"Yeah, hi," Dean said as he pulled out a badge, flashing it to the clerk. "Ed Campbell." He pointed to Amy, who showed her badge as well. "This is my partner, Hannah Smith. We need to speak to whoever's in charge."

"Of course." The clerk smiled. "I'll go grab my supervisor for you guys."

* * *

A few minutes later, Amy and Dean found themselves being led through the basement by the office supervisor.

"Clark Adams," the supervisor greeted, shaking the hand of Dean and Amy. "We don't get many folks from HQ down here."

"Yes well, the main office mentioned that there would be lunch," Dean joked as they walked down the hall.

Amy rolled her eyes.

Clark looked at Dean questionably. "Well, I'm sure we can arrange something. The man you wanna be speaking to is right this..." he trailed off as a fly began to buzz around them. "Sorry. We've got something of a hygiene issue down here if you ask me."

Clark led them into an office. "Stewie? What did I tell you about keeping this place clean."

A man, Stewie, jumped slightly as they entered. He sat at a console with various screens and keyboards. Packets and junk food were strewn about. One of the monitors contained several windows of porn ads.

"Spam mail...spam mail..." Stewie muttered as he quickly tried to close the ads.

"Stewie Myers. Mr. Campbell. Ms. Smith," Clark introduced, pointing at Dean and Amy.

Stewie didn't respond as he continued frantically closing the ads. "I don't know how all this got here..."

Clark angrily flicked Stewie on the back of the head "From headquarters?"

Stewie quickly turned around in his chair, crossing his legs as he looked up at them, laughing nervously.

"Give these two people whatever they need," Clark instructed.

"Yeah," Stewie agreed.

"Thank you," Dean said as the supervisor left.

"Thanks," Amy spoke.

"So...can I help you?" Stewie asked awkwardly.

Dean looked behind him, then turned back to Stewie and smirked. "Is that, ah, Busty Aisian Beauties dot com?" he asked, pointing at the screen.

"No," Stewie replied quickly. Audio from the site played and he quickly closed it, turning back to Dean and Amy. "Maybe."

"A word to the wise?" Dean offered. "Platinum membership? Worth every penny. Ha?"

Amy sighed, pulling out the slip of paper Sam had given her with the ancient phone number on it. "We're, uh, we're here to trace a number," she explained as she handed the paper to Stewie.

"Where did you get this?" Stewie asked as he took the paper.

"Caller I.D.," Amy explained.

Stewie shook his head. "Oh no, that's impossible."

"It hasn't been used in a few years, we know." Dean nodded.

"A few years?" Stewie asked. "It's prehistoric. Trust me, nobody is using this number anymore." He started to hand Amy back the paper.

"Do you think you could run it anyway?" Amy asked.

"Sure," Stewie replied snarkily. "Why don't I just rearrange my whole life first."

Amy and Dean looked at each other.

"Listen, uh, Stewie." Dean smiled, leaning closer. "You got like six kinds of employee code violations down here, not to mention the sickening porn that is clogging up your hard drive." The smile faded as Dean's voice grew louder. "Now when my partner says to run the number, I suggest you run the number!"

Stewie stared up at Dean before sighing and turning back to his desk. He pushed a few buttons and one of the screens filled up with a long list.

"Holy crap," Stewie said in astonishment.

"What?" Amy asked.

"I can't tell you where the number comes from." Stewie began printing the list. "But I can tell you where it's been going."

Amy and Dean looked at each other in confusion.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

Stewie stood up and walked to the printer, handing the printed list to Dean.

"Ten different houses in the past few weeks, all got calls from the same number."

The two hunters looked at each other as Stewie sighed and walked between them, sitting back down at his console.

"So, are we done here?" Stewie asked after a moment. "Cause I was...sort of...busy?"

Dean smirked. "Right."

Amy rolled her eyes again as Dean led her out of the room and back to the car.

* * *

As soon as they were back in the car, Dean called Sam, putting the phone on speaker so Amy could listen in.

"Hey," Sam's voice greeted over the phone, "You guys find anything?"

"Yeah," Amy replied. "Apparently at least ten different houses got a call from this number in the past two weeks."

"What about you?" Dean asked. "You find anything?"

"The only person I could find that had a call from that number was a girl named Lanie Greenfield. She received a call from this thing pretending to be her mother. Anyone at the phone company sticks out as being the culprit?"

"The intern's desk was a mess," Amy answered, "There were flies everywhere down in the basement where he worked."

"Think he's our guy?" Sam asked.

"I dunno." Dean shook his head. "I mean, you said these things like to live in filth, right?"

"They do, yeah." Sam agreed.

"Well then maybe he is," Dean continued. "But we still need a way to kill it."

"Well, I looked up the lore on these things says stabbing it in the back of the neck is the only way to kill it."

"Okay, well, Amy and I will meet you back at the motel. We can figure out a plan from there."

"Okay, yeah," Sam agreed. "I'll see you guys there."

Dean hung up the phone, only for it to ring again instantly. He answered the phone, putting it back on speaker.

"Yeah, what?" The older Winchester asked.

The other end of the line had nothing but static.

"Sam?" Dean and Amy asked at the same time.

John Winchester's voice suddenly came onto the line. "Dean?"

Dean froze, looking at Amy.

"Hang up," Amy mouthed.

"Dean, is that you?" John asked.

Dean didn't say anything, instantly hanging up as he tossed the phone into the glove compartment.

"That sounded like your dad," Amy noted.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "It did."

* * *

Dean ran into the motel room as soon as he parked the Impala, followed quickly by Amy.

"That thing called me," Dean told his brother as he closed the door. "Pretended to be dad."

"What did it sound like?" Sam asked

"Like Oprah!" Dean replied sarcastically. "Like Dad, it sounded like Dad, what do you think?"

"What did it say?"

"My name," Dean recalled.

Sam looked confused. "That's it?"

"I hung up," Dean explained.

"So how are we killing this thing?" Amy asked.

"Well, we know where this thing is hiding," Sam reminded them. "We have stakes we can use. I say our best chance is tonight. Amy and I can go scope the place out first. Make sure this guy really is our guy. Why don't you wait here, in case, you know-"

Dean seemed to understand what his brother meant and nodded. "Yeah, okay. You guys go. I'll just wait here."

* * *

Sam and Amy headed out to the car and drove away from the motel. A short while later, they arrived at the phone company office.

"Stay close," Sam whispered as they crept up to a window that looked into the basement, where Stewie was.

Stewie's desk was still littered with garbage, even more so now, it seemed.

"Ugh." Amy heard Sam make a noise of disgust.

"Told ya this place was a mess."

"Still doesn't prove he's our guy though," Sam noted. "He could just be a slob."

"A slob who works at a phone company?" Amy questioned. "And people are getting phone calls from loved ones?"

Sam nodded. "Might be our guy after all then."

"Should we go get Dean, then?" Amy asked.

Sam shook his head. "We can do this ourselves, right now." He motioned for Amy to follow. "Come on."

The hunters carefully made their way back to the car to grab some stakes. Sam's phone began to ring and he quickly answered it.

"Dean hey," he whispered. "Amy and I are at the phone company. We think we got this thing pinned down." He paused for a moment. "Well then hurry up and get down here, because we've got the perfect opportunity to gank this thing right here and now." Sam hung up and handed a stake to Amy. "Cover me, yeah?" he instructed.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

They waited until Stewie came out of the building. Sam motioned for Amy to follow, and they quietly ran up to Stewie from behind. Sam shoved the technician up against the car, holding the spike against his neck.

"What the hell!" Stewie exclaimed in surprise.

"I know what you are," Sam snarled.

"Wait, mister," Stewie whimpered.

"And I know how to kill you," Sam finished.

"Please. Okay, wait, wait. If we're overcharging you for the call waiting or something I...I can fix that," Stewie pleaded frantically. "I am your friend!"

Sam and Amy looked at each other in confusion.

"Are we a hundred percent positive this is our guy?" Amy asked again. "Cause I'm starting to have-" She was cut short as a sudden pain was felt on the back of her head, and everything went black.

* * *

Amy groaned as she slowly came to.

"Oh look," she heard the Clark from earlier say, "You're awake now, too."

"Wha-" Amy looked around. She was tied to a chair, her hands bound tightly behind her. She looked to the side to see Sam tied to another chair, and Stewie dead on the floor, a knife deep in his chest.

"My last call with Dean," Sam scoffed at the crocotta. "That was you. You led me here."

"Some calls I make, some calls I take," Clark said in a sing-song voice. "But you have to admit, I had you fooled for a while. All that Edison phone crap." He laughed and moved to the telephone exchange cabinet, placing his hands on the glass.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm killing your brother," Clark explained. "Or maybe I'm killing another guy. We'll just have to see how it goes."

"Amy," Sam whispered. "Get yourself untied, but don't let him find out. Wait for my signal."

Amy nodded, using her powers to quickly untie the wire wrapped around her hands.

"You know, mimicking Dean's one thing," Sam told the crocotta as it pulled the knife out of Stewie. "But my dad? That's a hell of a trick."

"Well once I made your brother and partner here as hunters, it was easy. I found Dean's number, then your number, then your father's numbers. Found out you and Dean were brothers and figured you were a hunter too since you and Dean are related. Emails, voicemails, everything," Clark listed. "You see, people think that stuff just gets erased, but it doesn't. You'd be surprised how much of yourself is just floating out there, waiting to be plucked."

"Dean's not going to fall for this," Sam groaned. "He's not going to kill that guy."

Clark shrugged. "Then the guy kills him." He walked over to Sam's chair, leaning over him. "Technology. Makes life so much easier," he mused. "Used to be I'd hide in the woods for days, weeks, whispering to people, trying to draw them out into the night. But they had community, they all looked out for each other, I'd be lucky to eat one or two souls a year. Now when I'm hungry, I simply make a phone call." He leaned closer, sneering in Sam's face. "You're all so connected. But you've never been so alone."

The crocotta opened its mouth, unhinging its jaw while raising the knife. Sam jumped out of the chair and tackled the crocotta, causing it to drop the knife. Amy jumped out of her chair, ready to fight.

The crocotta reached for the knife, but Amy quickly used her powers to bring it to her instead. The crocotta lunged for her as she grabbed the knife, pinning her to the ground.

"Sam!" Amy shouted, tossing the knife in the air.

Sam caught it, digging the blade into the back of the crocotta's neck.

Amy sighed in relief as the crocotta was killed. She grunted as she pushed the body off of her, letting Sam help her up.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, don't mention it." Sam kicked the body. "You okay?"

"I think so." Amy nodded.

* * *

Sam pulled out his phone, dialing Dean's number as they walked out of the building.

"Dean? Hey, where are you?" Sam asked into the phone as they walked down the hall. "No, it's dead. Turns out it was the supervisor." There was a pause. "Okay, yeah. We'll see you back at the motel."

Sam drove them back to the motel, where Dean was waiting. Dean was holding a washcloth over a cut on his eye.

"Holy crap," Amy exclaimed, "What happened to you?"

Dean took the washcloth away from his face. "Don't worry about it." He stood up. "How'd it go? More importantly, why didn't you call me?"

"I did," Sam explained, "Or I thought I did, anyway."

"The crocotta intercepted the call," Amy finished. "It's how we knew where we were."

"Huh." Dean nodded. "Yeah, it, uh, it called me too. Told me that the demon who holds my contract? He's here."

"And..." Sam trailed off, waiting for Dean to continue.

"I didn't believe him, obviously," Dean confirmed. "I mean the demon if he is here, and that's a big "if", no monster would just tell me the location, right? I mean, I wanted to believe so badly that there was a way outta this. I mean I'm staring down the barrel at this thing. You know, Hell. For real, forever, and I just..."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

Dean began tearing up. "I'm scared, Sam. I'm really scared."

"I know," Sam said, his voice trembling.

Amy felt a tear fall down her face.

Dean sighed. "I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, the last act of a desperate man."

"There's nothing wrong with having hope, Dean," Sam assured his brother.

Dean shook his head. "Hope doesn't get you jack squat. I can't expect Dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute." He chuckled slightly. "I can't expect anybody to, you know. I mean the only person that can get me out of this thing is me."

Sam nodded. "And me," he declared.

Dean looked at his brother. "And me?"

"What?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Deep revelation, having a real moment here, that's what you come back with?" Dean questioned. "And me?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Uh...do you want a poem?"

"The moment's gone." Dean picked up two beer bottles, handing one to Sam. He handed the other one towards Amy. "Come on, kid. You've earned it."

Amy sighed. She needed to tell Dean what he needed to hear. She knew who held the Winchester's contract.

"The demon who holds your contract isn't a he," Amy admitted. "It's a she."

"What?" Dean asked.

"The demon who holds your contract. I know who it is."

"Have you known this whole time?" Dean asked angrily.

Amy gulped, nodding slowly.

"Well then, who is it?!" Sam shouted.

"Lilith," Amy replied.

Dean didn't say anything for a moment. "You mean to tell me that this whole time we've been trying to figure out who holds my contract and you've known this whole time?" he asked quietly.

Amy nodded, looking down at the floor.

Dean threw his hands up in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sam asked.

"You never asked, and I kinda just... I don't know... Stuff happened and I got caught up in everything, and..."

Dean took a sip of his beer. "I can't believe this."

"Well Dean, I mean, now we know who we're looking for," Sam reminded his brother. "We can probably find her a lot faster now."

"We would have found her a lot faster if Emily over here had told us in the first place!"

"Amy."

"What?" Dean asked.

"You know she started going by her birth name a little over a week ago."

"Fine," Dean huffed. "We would have found her a lot faster if Amy over here had told us in the first place!"

"At least we know, now!"

"Yeah, now!"

* * *

Sam and Dean began to argue. Amy quietly slipped out into the night, unnoticed by either brother.

She pulled her jacket tightly around her as she looked over the railing. The door to the motel room remained closed behind her, but she could hear Sam and Dean arguing from behind it.

Sighing to herself, Amy walked down the steps towards the parking lot.

' _Telling Dean what I knew right then and there probably wasn't the best plan_ ,' she thought to herself, ' _but what was I supposed to do? Keep it to myself until he figured it out a couple of weeks before the deal was up_?'

Amy kicked a pebble across the asphalt. She spotted the Impala nearby and walked over to it. Pulling on the handle, she opened the back door and climbed inside, lying down on the seat.

'Maybe I can just hide here until morning,' she thought.

"Amy!" she heard Sam call out. She poked her head up slightly, looking out the window. Sam and Dean were standing outside, both looking worried.

"Amy, where are you?" Dean yelled.

Amy watched them run down the steps and hurry towards the Impala. Quickly lying down in the seat, she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep so she could listen to them talk. She heard Dean open the driver's side door.

"Sam," Dean whispered.

Sam sighed in relief. "Oh thank god."

The back door opened and Amy felt Sam pick her up from the seat, carrying her in a bridal position while she kept her eyes closed. She felt each step as Sam carried her back up to the room and laid her down on the bed.

"God, she's light," Sam whispered as he set her down on the bed.

"You see how small she is," Dean commented. "The girl's as skinny as a twig."

"Yeah," Sam mumbled. "Think we were a bit too hard on her?"

"No," Dean replied instantly. There was a pause. "Maybe. I still wish she had told us sooner though. I mean, who knows what else she knows that she's not telling us. What things could help us."

"I know. But, I mean, she's still kind of new to all of this."

"What? Hunting?" Dean asked.

"Yes, but that wasn't what I was talking about. Amy grew up in a world where our lives are a TV show, right?" Sam asked.

"Right."

"She knows a lot about this show. Including a lot of things we don't yet. One thing on this show leads to another, and all that."

"Okay, so, what are you saying?"

Sam sighed. "I'm saying, she probably doesn't know what will happen if she tells us some major plot point so early on. Butterfly effect and all that, you know?"

"Butterfly effect?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "It's a concept that one miniscule thing can lead to catastrophic changes and events. Like, a butterfly flapping its wings leading to a hurricane."

Dean sighed as well. "I just wish she had told us sooner, is all."

"Well, you can complain to her about it in the morning," Sam said.

There was silence for a while, and Amy began to wonder if Sam and Dean had snuck out of the room so that they wouldn't wake her.

Sam spoke up again. "Look, I don't want to have another argument with you. I'll bet that's why Amy snuck out earlier. Let's just...we can talk to her about it in the morning."

"Yeah, okay," Dean said.

The light went off in the room and Amy heard Sam and Dean climb into the other bed. She waited a few moments before reopening her eyes. Rolling over, she looked at Sam and Dean sleeping and sighed quietly.

' _God, if I could just go back in time and stop myself from telling them what I did, I would_ ,' she thought to herself. She stared up at the ceiling. ' _Or maybe I would have told them sooner? Ugh, I don't even know anymore!_ ' Amy rolled back over, a tear falling down her cheek. ' _Why the hell am I even here. Why do I mess everything up? Why am I so stupid?'_

* * *

Sometime during the night, Amy managed to cry herself to sleep. Sam and Dean were nowhere to be found, but she figured they had just stepped out to get something to eat.

Just as she thought that, the door to the motel opened up and Sam and Dean stepped inside.

"Hey, you're up," Sam said as he closed the door. He was holding a brown paper bag, which he tossed to Amy. "Got you breakfast."

Amy caught the bag. "Thanks," she said quietly. She opened the bag and pulled out a bagel, taking a bite.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked. "You seem quieter than usual."

"Yeah, yeah," Amy said quickly. "I'm okay. Really." She took another bite of her bagel, avoiding Sam and Dean's gazes.

"You're lying," Dean declared.

Amy didn't reply.

"This isn't because of last night, is it?" Sam asked.

Amy stared at her food and nodded reluctantly.

"Well, hey, listen," Dean said, "Maybe I was a little hard on you. It's just weird, you know? I mean you come into our lives, know seemingly everything about us-"

Amy looked up at the hunter. "I get it, Dean," she said, stopping him from saying anymore.

"Look, my point is, we...I'm still getting used to this. To you knowing probably everything about our lives."

"Hey, so am I!" Amy exclaimed. "I've been watching this show since I was nine. I've spent eight years watching over two hundred episodes. And yeah, I know things that'll happen in the future because of it, but I can't tell you." She paused for a moment. "Actually, that's not true. I don't know if I can tell you. For all I know, telling you some major plot point early on could change things. I mean, it's not exactly everyday that you end up inside a TV show. I don't know if I'll mess everything up by telling you who someone secretly is, or what someone's plans are. I just don't want to mess everything up."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other.

"You're not gonna mess everything up, Amy," Sam assured her.

"I probably already have," Amy mumbled, "Just by being here."

"No, you haven't," Sam said, sitting next to her on the bed. "You've been here for almost a full year now, right?"

Amy nodded, but didn't reply.

"And in that year, we've actually gotten through a couple hunts faster because you were there to help us out. The hunt we just did, for example. Without you, we probably would have thought it was a ghost, and might have spent a few days trying to destroy it, only to realize later on that it was a crocotta. But with you here, we were done in a day."

"And then there was Corbett," Dean added. "Without you here, he would be dead. But you knew Daggett would kill him and used that knowledge to save his life. Without you, he would be in the ground, rather than safe at home."

"All, we're trying to say, Amy," Sam told her, "is that you being here has actually made things better. And I know you probably never asked to be here and it was all pretty sudden for you, but Dean and I are glad you're here. Right, Dean?" Sam looked up at his brother.

Dean nodded. "Right."

"And I think Bobby is too. You've helped us a lot since you got here, whether you realize it or not."

"You've become something like a little sister to us," Dean said.

"You're our family," Sam added.

"Family?" Amy asked quietly.

"Yeah." Dean smirked. "The little sister we never had."

"We know you can't tell us everything." Sam continued. "And Dean and I will just have to accept that. But just know that we're glad you're here."

Amy smiled up at the brothers. "You mean it?"

"Yeah," Dean said as he ruffled her hair.

"Stop," Amy laughed as she did her best to fix her hair.

"Alright." Dean clapped his hands together. "I say it's high time we get out of here." He picked up Amy's duffle bag, tossing it to her.

Amy stood up from the bed and packed her things.

"Alright," Dean said as he swung his duffle bag over his shoulder. "Let's get out of this town."

Amy and Sam picked up their bags as well, following Dean out to the Impala. Amy climbed into the backseat and Dean started the engine as Sam put the bags in the trunk. Sam got into the passenger seat and closed the door as Dean drove out of the parking lot and out of town.


	10. No Rest for the Wicked

**April 30th, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Two days. That was how long Dean had until he went to Hell and there was nothing Amy could do about it. She felt helpless as she watched Dean sleep on a book at Bobby's desk.

Dean woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

Dean didn't reply. He looked down at the book he had been reading and closed it as Sam walked in.

"Dig up anything good?" Sam asked.

"No." Dean cleared his throat. "Nothing good."

"Well, Bobby has." Sam grinned. "Finally."

"Yeah?" Dean asked hopefully.

Amy stood up from the couch. "A way to find Lilith, right?"

Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"Oh." Dean nodded. "With just uh," he looked at his watch, "thirty hours to go." Dean smiled. "Hey, why don't we just make a TJ-run, yeah? You know... some _senoritas, cervezas_ , uh, we could... What's Spanish for "donkey show"?"

Amy looked at the floor and smiled.

Sam snickered at his brother's words. "So if we do save you," he said, "let's never do that."

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

Dean looked down at the book and Sam sat next to him.

"Hey, Dean." Sam sighed. "Look, we're cutting it close, I know. But we're gonna get this done. I don't care what it takes, Dean. You're not gonna go to hell. I'm not gonna let you."

Dean looked over at his brother.

"I swear," Sam promised. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Dean suddenly looked away from Sam, looking scared. "Yeah, okay," he finally said, his voice shaking slightly.

Bobby entered the room with a map and a strange device. It had three wooden legs coming out from a crystal ball that had a flat, metal piece with symbols going around it. There was another, bigger metal piece further underneath that and a sharp pendulum device hanging from the ball.

"That to track Lilith?" Sam asked.

"If it works," Bobby confirmed.

The old hunter placed the map on the table and the tracking device in the center.

"So you need a name, that's the whole kit and caboodle," Bobby explained. "With the right name, right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out."

"Like the town Lilith's in?" Sam asked.

"Kid, when I get done, we'll know the street," Bobby corrected.

Bobby pushed the pendulum to start the swing and then began chanting something in Latin. The pendulum swung around rapidly around the map, before finally stopping on-

"New Harmony, Indiana," Bobby said. Dean looked up at him. "And we have a winner."

"Alright." Sam pushed the pendulum away. "Let's go." He turned to leave the room.

Dean held out a hand, stopping his brother in his tracks. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Let's all shut up there, Tex."

"What's the problem?" Sam questioned.

"What's the problem?" Dean repeated. "Come on, where do I begin? I mean, first of all, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And second, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike? Should I continue?"

"Ain't you just bringing down the room," Bobby said.

"What about Ruby's demon knife?" Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you guys have to, okay? Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"It's a sure-fire way to get us a bona fide demon-killing ginsu," Sam argued.

"Damn it, Sam, no," Dean snapped. He turned his back to Sam, taking a few steps forward towards Bobby's desk.

"We're so past arguing," Sam said calmly. "Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

Dean spun back around. "The hell you are!" he yelled. "We have enough problems as it is."

"Exactly." Sam took a few steps towards his brother. "And we've got no time and no choice either."

Dean shook his head. "Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay. She told you that she could save me, huh – lie." His voice grew louder. "She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right – Lilith owns my soul!"

"Dean, I don't like this idea either," Amy mentioned, "but Ruby does have a knife that can kill demons, which could be pretty helpful. Especially in the future. Ruby and Lilith aren't the only demons out there, you know!"

"You're the one who suggested it in the first place!" Dean shouted.

"I'm aware of that! I was there," Amy snapped back. "But like I also said, it can be pretty helpful."

"For all we know, she works for Lilith," Dean argued.

"Demon-killing knife," Amy argued back, "Demon." She gestured her hands back and forth, like she was weighing her options. She looked up at the older Winchester. "You got any other ideas then? 'Cause I'd love to hear them."

"The kid's right," Bobby said.

" _No damn it_!" Dean bellowed.

Amy jumped in surprise as everyone stared at Dean.

Dean cleared his throat, his voice calmer as he spoke again. "Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again. You guys wanna save me, find something else." He walked back to the table he had been at before, sitting back down as everyone looked at him.

"Where are you going, Bobby?" Sam asked as Bobby grabbed his jacket.

Bobby threw out his arms. "I guess to find something else."

Sam sighed and looked up at the ceiling. After a moment, he turned and left the room as well.

Amy turned to Dean, who was sitting at the desk with a contemplative look on his face. Seeing the look on his face, she figured it would be best to just leave him alone. She sighed before heading outside.

'This story was stolen from Gallifreyan98 on FFN. The original story is titled Fallen and you can find it here: s/13376831/1/Fallen'

Amy walked down the steps and off the porch, wandering aimlessly around the house. After a while, she looked up at the sky, getting an idea.

"Hey Cas, you there?" she asked. "I could really use some help. You know, Dean Winchester? Michael's vessel? Going to hell? Soon? Like, tomorrow soon?"

A tumbleweed blew past her in the wind.

Amy arched an eyebrow. "Chuck? How about you?"

Silence.

Amy sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Giving up, Amy made her way back inside, where she was promptly met with loud crashing heard in the basement. She hurried downstairs to see Ruby kicking Dean around like a ragdoll while Sam watched in horror.

"Ruby, hey!" Sam yelled as the demon kicked Dean in the face, sending him into a beam. Amy hurried over and stood next to Sam.

Ruby kneed Dean in the stomach, throwing several more punches after.

"Get the knife," Sam instructed, pointing at the knife sticking out of Ruby's back pocket.

Amy wasted no time bringing the knife towards her, holding it up for Dean to see. The older hunter grinned, slowly rising to her feet.

"The hell are you grinning at?" Ruby snarled.

Dean pointed at Amy. "Missing something?"

Ruby turned as Amy held up the demon knife, smirking.

"You bitch," Ruby snarled, rushing towards the girl.

Dean quickly grabbed the demon from behind, throwing her towards the opposite wall. Amy looked up to see that Ruby had landed directly underneath a Devil's trap. Ruby stood up and tried to rush towards Dean, only to be stopped by an invisible wall. Dean smirked.

"Like I said, I knew you'd come," he said, pointing towards the ceiling. He walked towards the staircase, Ruby watching him.

"Wait!" Ruby yelled. "You're just gonna leave me here?"

Dean stopped on the stairs. "Sam, Amy, let's go."

Sam and Amy quickly joined Dean as he walked up the steps.

"Oh, oh you – so you're just too stupid to live, is that it?" Ruby yelled after them. "Then fine! You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean," the demon snarled. "I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I wish I could be there to hear you scream!"

"And I wish you'd shut your pie hole," Dean retorted, "but we don't always get what we want."

The three hunters made their way back up to Bobby's study.

"Alright," Dean said as he laid all their weapons on the table. "Load up your weapons. One of these oughta at least slow down Lilith and we need to be ready."

No one said a word as they began loading their weapons in silence. An eternity seemed to go by before Sam finally spoke.

"We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?"

"That's the idea," Dean replied, not looking at his brother.

Sam sighed. "Dean, what if, uh," he hesitated. "What if Ruby's right? What if I can take out Lilith?"

Dean glared at his brother as Amy picked up a clip, loading it into her gun.

Sam tossed his gun to the floor. "Quit looking at me like that," he snapped.

'What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes "poof"?" Dean questioned.

"I don't know what Ruby meant," Sam said. "You know, maybe we should just go ask her."

"What Ruby meant?" Amy asked.

"Apparently Ruby thinks Sam here can kill Lilith by himself," Dean explained. "With his mind, or whatever." Dean looked back at his brother. "Sam, you wanted the knife – we got you the knife."

Sam stood up as well. "Dean, just listen to me for a second," he said. "Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got's one little knife?"

"We got a girl who can move things with her mind," Dean pointed out.

Amy stood up. "Okay, even I know that there's no way in hell I'd be able to do anything to Lilith. I just got my powers back a few months ago. If I try to do anything to her, I might as well start writing out a will right now!"

"Amy's right, Dean. How could you even say something like that? It's practically suicide. I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

Dean shook his head. "Well, this ain't smart."

"We got one shot at this, Dean," Sam reminded his brother. "Just one. So if there's a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it."

"Sam," Dean said, walking towards his brother as he spoke. "We are not gonna make the same mistake all over again."

"You said that but what does it even mean?" Sam asked.

"Don't you see a pattern here?" Dean asked. "Dad's deal, my deal, now this? I mean every time one of us is – is – is up the creek the other is begging to sell their soul." His voice was growing louder with each word. "That's all this is, man. Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it's paved with and you know where it's going."

Amy looked at the floor sadly, thinking of all the deals the brothers had made to save the other throughout the seasons. This was only the beginning and they didn't even know it yet.

"Dean," Sam said, getting Amy's attention. She looked up to see the younger Winchester standing next to his brother at the table. "What do you think is gonna happen? This is me, I can handle it."

Dean shook his head.

"And if it'll save you," Sam continued.

Dean cut his brother off. "Why even risk it?"

"Because you're my brother," Sam said obviously. "Because you did the same thing for me."

"I know." Dean scoffed. "And look how that turned out.

No one said anything for a minute.

"All I'm saying," Dean continued, choking up. "Sammy, all I'm saying is that you're my weak spot." He smiled. "You are. And I'm yours."

"You don't mean that." Sam choked. "We're… we're family."

Amy smiled sadly at those words and looked down at the floor.

"I know," Dean told Sam. "And those evil sons of bitches know it too. I mean, what we'll do for each other, you know, how far we'll go? They're using it against us."

"So what?" Sam asked. "We just stop looking out for each other?"

Dean shook his head. "No, we stop being martyrs, man," he said. "We – we – we stop spreading it for these demons." He held up Ruby's knife. "We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then, uh... then we go down swinging."

Sam looked at his brother.

"What do you think?" Dean asked.

Sam smirked. "I think you totally should have been jamming "Eye of the Tiger" right there."

"Oh, bite me," Dean said as he rose from the table, setting the knife down. "I totally rehearsed that speech, too."

Sam smiled. "So, Indiana, huh?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Tell me something," Dean said. Sam and Amy looked at him. "The hell's a demon do for fun?"

"Beats me," Amy sighed. She finished loading her final gun, tossing it into the duffle bag with the other weapons. "When are we leaving?"

"Right now," Dean replied as he zipped up the bag. "Come on."

Dean led Sam and Amy to the Impala. He put the duffle bag into the trunk as Amy got into the backseat and Sam got in on the passenger side. The older Winchester got into the drivers side and put the key into the ignition. He turned the key, but the car only began to sputter.

"Huh," Dean said as he tried the key again. Sam looked at him with a worried expression.

A loud knock on the window next to her made Amy jump. She turned to see Bobby outside the car, holding the distributor cap for the Impala in his hands.

"Where do you think you're going?" The old hunter asked.

Dean groaned as everyone got out of the car. "We got the knife," he told Bobby.

"And you intend to use it without me," Bobby declared.

Sam and Amy stood next to the two men, watching them.

"Do I look like a ditchable prom-date to you?" Bobby asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, Bobby. Of course not."

"This is about me," Dean stated. He looked over at his brother. "And Sam. Okay? This isn't your fight."

Bobby took a few steps towards Dean. "The hell it isn't!" he bellowed.

Dean looked at him in shock.

"Family don't end with blood, boy." Bobby lowered his voice. "Besides, you need me."

"Bobby," Dean sighed.

"You're playing wounded," Bobby continued. "Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"

Amy sighed as Sam looked at his brother. Dean looked over at Sam and Amy and tilted his head before turning back to Bobby.

"How'd you know?"

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt," Bobby stated. "And because I'm smart."

Dean looked down at the ground.

"I'll follow," Bobby said as he handed Dean the distributor cap back. He walked back to his car as Dean opened the hood of the Impala. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either," he yelled.

Dean put the cap back on and closed the hood. The hunters got into the car once more and he put the key back in the ignition, this time starting the engine successfully.

* * *

**May 1st, 2008 - New Harmony, Indiana**

They reached New Harmony around seven that night. Dean only had about five hours left and Amy could tell he was getting nervous.

"Hey, Dean?" Sam asked, breaking the silence.

Dean looked at his brother. "Yeah?"

"You know if this doesn't uh," Sam stammered. "This doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know-"

Dean cut him off, putting a hand up. "No. No, no, no, no."

"No what?" Sam asked.

Dean looked over at Sam. "No, you're not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward."

Sam looked out the window as Dean turned back to the road.

"You know what I do want?" Dean asked, reaching towards the radio. He turned the dial and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" started playing.

"Bon Jovi?" Sam questioned.

Dean held up a finger, silencing his brother. "Bon Jovi rocks, on occasion." He looked in the rear-view mirror. "Right, Ames?"

"Yeah it does." Amy smiled.

"And I walk these streets," Dean began to sing. "A loaded six-string on my back. I play for keeps," He turned to Sam, nudging him. "Come on." he smiled. He continued singing. "'Cause I might not make it back. I've been everywhere."

Sam began to sing as well. "Oh yeah."

"And I'm standing tall," Amy joined in. She wasn't someone that normally sang for any reason, but she wanted to have some fun before the day ended.

Sam began to laugh as he and Dean sang together. "I've seen a million faces and I rocked 'em all. 'Cause I'm a cowboy. On a steel horse I ride. I'm wanted-"

Dean stopped singing as he looked over at Sam.

"Wanted!" Sam sang loudly.

"Dead or alive," the three hunters sang.

Amy looked at Dean from the backseat as Sam continued singing, not noticing that he was now singing alone. Her smile faded along with Dean's as she remembered what was about to happen.

* * *

Dean drove the Impala down the dark road, driving past a cop car. The backseat lit up with red and blue lights as the cop turned on the sirens and drove after them.

"We getting pulled over?" Sam asked.

Dean looked in the rear-view mirror. "I've got a busted tail-light." He huffed. "It's not like we're in a hurry or nothing."

"Cop's a demon," Amy recalled as Dean stopped the car.

Dean looked at Sam, who had been ready to hand over the license and registration, but instead put them back in the glove box. He looked back at Amy. "You sure?"

"Positive." Amy nodded. "I remember this part of the episode."

The officer walked up to the open window, a flashlight in his hand.

"Problem officer?" Dean asked as he reached for Ruby's knife.

"Licence and registration, please," the office requested.

"Oh, you know, I would give those to you," Dean replied, not looking at the officer. "But, uh, here's a better idea."

With those words, Dean swung the door open, hitting the demon officer in the stomach. He rushed out of the car, thrusting the knife into the demons jaw. The officer flashed with light before dropping to Dean's feet.

Dean straightened up, panting as he looked at Sam. Bobby pulled his own car up behind them and ran over, looking down at the dead officer.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby demanded.

"Dean just killed a demon," Sam answered. "Amy told him."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that. And," he pointed the knife at the body, "I could see its face. Its real face under that one."

* * *

The four hunters worked to hide the police car behind some large branches, so nobody would see it. When they were done, Sam turned to his brother.

"So what, now you're seeing demons?" he asked.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately," Dean admitted, "But... nothing like this."

Bobby sighed. "Actually it's not all that crazy."

"How's it not that crazy?" Dean asked.

"You've got about five hours left," Amy replied. "So you've started seeing other demons."

Dean looked at her, but didn't say anything.

"It could come in pretty handy," Sam said.

"Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something," Dean snarked.

"Damn right it is." Bobby nodded. "Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we're started."

"It'll be easier to get past the demons that way too," Amy added.

Dean threw his hands up sarcastically. "Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it." He looked back and forth between the other hunters before heading back towards the Impala. "Can we go, please?"

Amy sighed as she followed Sam and Dean back to the car. She crawled into the backseat as Sam and Dean got into the front. Bobby walked up to Dean's window.

"Keep heading towards the street," Bobby told Dean. "We'll park a couple streets down and walk from there."

"Yeah, sure thing Bobby," Dean replied uneasily as he started the engine.

Bobby headed back to his car and Dean drove off back down the road.

* * *

A short while later, they reached their destination. Dean hid the Impala as well as he could and the three hunters got out.

Dean opened the trunk of the Impala, pulling out a pair of binoculars and a few guns, which he handed to Sam and Amy. Bobby parked his own car and met up with them, a rosary in his hands.

"Alright," Dean said as he closed the trunk. "Let's go."

They walked down the street, towards the house, in silence, hiding from the few demons they saw walking down the street. When they reached their destination, the four of them hid in an empty house across the street, to scope out their surroundings.

Sam looked through the binoculars while Amy tried to get a good look inside the house. A little girl in a white, bloody dress was sitting at the table while a woman served her a piece of cake. A man could be seen getting out of his chair while an older man lay at the end of the table with his head on a plate.

"It's the little girl." Dean groaned in disgust. "Her face is awful."

Sam lowered the binoculars. "Alright then, let's go. We're wasting time." He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Wait!" Dean hissed, grabbing Sam's arm.

Sam spun around. "For what? For it to kill the rest of them?"

Dean nodded, releasing his brothers arm. "Yeah, and us too if we're not careful." He pointed outside. "Look. See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine p.m.?"

Amy looked out the window to see a mailman sorting mail at the back of his truck.

Dean pointed at a different location. "And Mr. Rogers over there."

"Demons?" Bobby asked.

"Yes."

Sam lowered the binoculars again. "Ok, fine. We – we – we – we," he stumbled over his words, "We ninja past those guys, sneak in."

"Then what?" Dean asked. "Give a "Colombian necktie" to a ten-year-old girl, come on!"

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful," Sam said.

"You think?"

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean," Sam argued. "This is about saving everybody."

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby said.

"I hate this so much," Amy admitted. "God, why'd she have to possess a little girl?"

"'Cause she knew we'd hesitate killing her."

Dean sighed, looking back out the window. "Oh, damn it."

Bobby pulled out the rosary. "You all know the plan, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. You know where I'll be." Bobby headed outside, making his way to the sprinkler system.

Dean led Sam and Amy across the street to the back of a random house. Sam and Amy hid behind the house while Dean went to bring the demon mailman towards them. Footsteps could be heard as Dean ran towards them. He ran past Sam, who rounded the corner and plunged Ruby's knife into the demon. Dean put a hand over the mailman's mouth as the demon flashed with light a few times before dropping to the ground.

Mr. Rogers came running around the corner next, but Sam was quick to stab him with the knife. Amy helped Dean drag the body out of view before he took off to lead more demons towards them.

"Dean's taking too long," Sam stated.

Amy looked at her watch. "It's only been a couple minutes."

Sam ignored her, staring off into the distance. "Come on," he said, leading her the way Dean had run earlier.

* * *

They quickly found Dean, pinned up against a fence by Ruby. Sam kept moving, but Amy stopped, looking at the demon. Was Lilith possessing her yet? She probably was, but Amy had no way to be sure. She quietly crept behind Sam as they approached Ruby and Dean.

"I'd like my knife back, please," the demon snarled as Sam and Amy snuck up behind them. "Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone."

Sam snuck up behind Ruby, holding the knife to her throat. "He doesn't have it. Take it easy."

Ruby backed away from Dean, releasing her from her grasp.

"How the hell did you get out?" Dean asked.

Ruby crossed her arms. "What you don't know about me could fill a book."

Dean suddenly recoiled in fear. "Whoa."

"What?" Ruby asked.

Dean looked around, avoiding eye contact with Ruby. "Nothing. I just – I couldn't see you before, but you're one ugly broad."

Ruby huffed angrily. "Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself," she ordered.

"Not a chance," Amy said, crossing her arms.

"You'll get it when this is over," Sam declared.

"It's already over," Ruby insisted. "I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down." She nodded her head towards Dean. "Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die too."

"Try and stop me, and I'll kill you." Sam pointed the knife towards Ruby. "Bitch."

Ruby took a step forward. "Hit me with your best shot, baby."

Amy spotted something out of the corner of her eye and looked towards the street. Several demons were standing on the street in front of the house, looking directly at all four of them.

"Uh, guys?" Amy asked, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Guys, guys!" Dean shouted. "Hey. Have your little catfight later."

Sam and Ruby looked over to see all the demons, including a man and his son, two men, and another man with a briefcase.

Dean shrugged. "So much for the element of surprise."

Sam started pushing Dean and Amy. "Go. Go. Run. Run!"

Amy picked up her pace as they ran as fast as they could towards Lilith's house. More demons began chasing after them as they ran through a gate and towards the porch.

Sam reached the house first and began picking the lock. He struggled to unlock the door as the demons quickly approached.

"What the hell is taking Bobby so long?" Dean asked.

"Sam, hurry up!" Amy yelled as the demons got closer.

"I'm trying!" Sam shouted back.

Amy looked back to see Sam still struggling with the lock. "Here!" she said, turning towards the door. "Move!"

Sam quickly moved back to let Amy unlock the door. She easily unlocked it with her powers and pushed the door open, letting everyone run inside, before following them in.

Amy locked the door behind them and looked out the window to see the demons reach the lawn. Just as they did, the sprinklers came on. A demon that had been running along the grass began to flail around and scream.

"Looks like Bobby's plan worked," she stated. She followed the Winchester brothers and the demon through the dark house.

"You think Lilith knows we're here?" Dean asked.

"Probably," Ruby nodded.

Now Amy knew her suspicions were right. She kept an eye on the demon as she approached Sam.

"Sam," Amy whispered, stopping the hunter in his tracks.

Sam turned to face her. "What is it?"

"Listen, I wasn't sure about it before, but I am now," Amy said. "I don't think that's Ruby. I'm pretty sure that's Lilith."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Not completely," Amy admitted, "but in the episode Lilith possesses Ruby's vessel. Only problem is, we never see the possession happen and all we learn is that Lilith has been possessing Ruby for quote a while." She sighed. "I think the possession has already happened, but I don't want to mess anything up if I'm wrong."

Sam looked towards the direction Dean and Ruby or Lilith had walked in, glaring. "Keep an eye on Ruby for me. If she does anything that confirms or denies your suspicions, let me know."

They caught up with Ruby and Dean in the living room. A faint creak was heard nearby and Dean quickly spun around, placing a hand over the man's mouth. It was the same man they had seen earlier through the binoculars.

"We're here to help. Okay?" Dean whispered. "I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?"

The man nodded and Dean removed his hand.

"Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked.

The man began whimpering. "It's not... it's not her anymore."

"Where is she?" Sam repeated.

"Upstairs." The man pointed. "In her bedroom."

"Okay, okay, okay," Dean whispered. "Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?"

"Not without my wife," the man declared.

"You're gonna have to go without your wife sir," Amy said.

The man shook his head. "No," he said, his voice shaking.

Dean rolled his eyes before punching the man, knocking him out. He threw the body over his shoulder and walked through the room, the others close behind.

Sam, Amy, and Ruby crept along upstairs as Dean put the man in the basement. Sam led the way, holding Ruby's knife in front of him. He listened against the bedroom door, before quietly opening it and slipping in.

Amy could see a bed with thin drapes, pushed against the wall. On it was the woman and little girl from earlier. Sam approached the bed and pulled back the drapes. The little girl was nuzzled into the woman's shoulder, who was breathing heavily. She looked up at Sam .

"Do it!" The woman whispered.

Amy watched as Sam slowly raised the knife.

"Do it," The woman whispered again, frantically.

Amy grabbed Sam's arm before he had a chance to do anything else.

Sam looked at her in confusion as the little girl started to wake up.

"I remember this part," Amy said, "it's not in her anymore."

At that moment, the little girl woke up, screaming when she saw Sam standing there holding the knife. Dean ran in with Ruby.

"It's not her!" Dean shouted as he ran into the room.

"I know," Sam said, breathing heavily.

The little girl began to whimper. "Mommy!"

"Mommy's here. Mommy's here. It's okay."

"We need to get these guys out of here," Amy pointed out.

Sam put the knife away. "Right. Yeah, come on."

The three hunters and demon led the woman and little girl down the stairs.

"Alright, no matter what you hear. You, your husband and your daughter stay in the basement," Dean instructed. He followed them into the basement as Sam, Amy, and Ruby stood upstairs.

"Well, I hate to be a "told you so"," Ruby snarked.

Sam looked at Amy. He didn't need to say anything, but Amy knew exactly what he was asking. She nodded.

Sam slowly pulled out the knife. "Yeah." He chuckled quietly before spinning around and pinning the demon to the wall, holding the knife to her throat.

"What the hell are you doing?" The demon yelled.

"I wondered how you got out of that trap," Sam said. "I should have known it was you. Lilith."

"Have you gone insane? Let go of me!"

"Maybe," Sam admitted.

Dean ran up the stairs, joining them once more in the living room. "What the hell's going on?"

"That's not Ruby," Amy replied.

The demon rolled her eyes. "You've all lost it. I'm trying to help you!"

"Enough games, Lilith!" Sam bellowed.

Lilith looked fearfully at Sam for a moment, before smirking. Her eyes turned white.

"How'd you figure it out so fast?" Lilith asked.

"Oh no." Sam shook his head. "No time for talking. I kill you now, this deal goes away, right?"

Lilith laughed. "Is that what you think is going to happen?" She tilted her head. "Sweetheart, your brothers dog kibble now. No getting out now."

"I don't believe you," Sam snarled.

"Sam," Dean spoke up.

Sam ignored his brother, glaring at Lilith.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, pulling his brother away.

"Don't, Dean!" Sam struggled in his brother's arms. "I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean shouted. He took a deep breath. "Yes, you are," he repeated, calmer.

Sam stared at his brother.

"I'm sorry," Dean continued. "I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you."

"Then, what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked shakily.

"Keep fighting," Dean instructed. "Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what Dad taught you... okay?"

Tears began to well up in Sam's eyes.

Dean looked at Amy. "Take care of the kid too," he continued. "And remember what I taught you."

* * *

**May 2nd, 2008**

The clock began to strike midnight and Sam, Dean, and Amy's faces dropped.

Dean looked at something down the hall. "Hellhound."

Amy and Sam looked at where Dean was looking, but couldn't see anything. "Where?"

Dean pointed at a spot next to the dining room table. "There."

Dean began to run and Sam and Amy followed. They ran into another room, closing the doors. Sam quickly poured goofer dust in front of the door.

"That dust isn't gonna hold forever," Amy pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's not gonna hold Lilith back either," Dean stated.

"You got that right," a voice said behind them.

Amy spun around to see Lilith standing behind her. Before she could do anything, Lilith threw them all against the wall.

Lilith approached Sam, grabbing his chin so he was forced to face her. She kissed him on the lips and Amy heard a sizzling noise as their lips met.

Lilith pulled away. "Your lips are soft."

Sam moved his head away, trying to get loose. "Right, so you have me," he stated. "Let my brother go."

"Silly goose." Lilith smirked. "You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."

Amy tried using her powers on Lilith, but that quickly proved to be useless. The demon turned to her.

"That tickles." She stepped up to her. "You don't have the strength to do anything to me."

"So, is this your big plan, huh?" Dean asked from the table he was restrained to. "Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

Lilith straightened up, turning to Dean. "I don't have to answer to puppy chow." She walked over to the door and grabbed the handle, keeping her eyes on Dean the entire time. "Sic 'em, boy."

Lilith opened the door and the dust blew away. Amy watched as something grabbed Dean and pulled him from the table.

"No!" Amy screeched as she watched something invisible tear through Dean. The lights began to flicker rapidly.

"No! Stop!" Sam ordered.

Dean's right leg was slashed and he began to scream in pain as the Hellhound attacked his chest.

" _Stop it_!" Sam yelled as Dean rolled over onto his stomach. The hound began to slash his back and shoulder.

"Dean!" Amy began crying uncontrollably as she watched the man slowly die in front of her. Random items began to fly around the room as her powers got out of control.

"No!" Sam yelled. "No. Stop it."

Dean rolled back over, blood pouring from his chest. He wasn't screaming anymore, but Amy could tell he wasn't dead yet.

" _Stop it! No!_!"

Lilith smiled at Sam. "Yes." She held up a hand and a bright, white light erupted from her palm. A moment later, it retracted to reveal Sam huddled in the corner, eyes closed. Her white eyes slowly turned back to normal as Sam stood up, grabbing the knife.

Lilith held out a hand. "Back," she ordered.

Sam kept walking toward her.

"I said, back."

Sam pulled back his hand. "I don't think so."

He moved his hand to stab Lilith, but the demon left Ruby's body just before he could.

Amy watched as the black smoke left through the ventilation in the roof. She looked down to see Dean's body on the floor. His eyes were open, blank and dull as he stared into nothingness. She slowly sank to the floor as Sam picked up his brother's body, holding him close.

"No... no... Dean..." Sam began to cry. "Dean..."

* * *

Amy barely registered what happened during the next few hours. Sam wrapped his brother's body up in sheets and silently carried him out of the house. She followed behind as Sam walked outside, where Bobby was waiting. They walked back to the cars, where Sam loaded his brother's body into the trunk.

Sam got into the Impala and drove off, with Bobby and Amy close behind in Bobby's car, driving in silence.

* * *

**Pontiac, Illinois**

A few hours later, Sam pulled over to the side of the road. Bobby pulled his car over and he and Amy got out. Sam pulled a shovel out of the Impala and began digging a grave, only letting Bobby help when his own strength faltered. Amy stood off to the side, too distraught to do anything.

She only stepped forward when Bobby motioned her forward. Sliding past Sam, who barely noticed her, she looked down at Dean's grave, a tear falling from her eye.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Amy whispered.

"Come on," Bobby said, pulling her away. "Let him grieve in peace."

Amy let Bobby lead her away. She walked back to Bobby's car, silently getting into the passenger seat. Bobby got in as well, starting up the engine. Amy turned to see Sam, still standing over Dean's grave.

A few minutes later, Sam slowly turned and walked back to the Impala. He got in, starting up the engine and driving away, with Bobby and Amy close behind.


	11. Gone but not Forgotten

**May 3rd, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Amy opened her eyes as sunlight streamed in through her bedroom window.

She slowly sat up, remembering the events from the night before. Sam hadn't returned to Bobby's that night and Bobby had thought it was best not to bother him for the time being.

Amy stood up, stretching her arms. After running a brush through her messy, knotted hair, she made her way over to her dresser. The floorboards creaked as she slipped on a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt before heading downstairs.

"Morning," Amy said, giving Bobby a half-hearted smile as she entered the kitchen.

Bobby grunted in response. "Cereal's in the kitchen."

"Thanks," Amy mumbled as she walked in there. She found an almost-empty box of cereal in a cupboard above the fridge. It was one of her favorites, so she was happy to finish it off. After pouring herself a bowl, she made her way back to the dining room and sat down across from Bobby.

"I could use some help in the junkyard today," Bobby said, "if you're feeling up to it, that is." He looked grim as he finished speaking.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, sure thing. Maybe it'll help get my mind off things, you know?"

Bobby nodded. "Good." He stood up. "Meet me outside when you're ready."

Amy sighed as Bobby walked out of the room, leaving her alone. She glanced down at her breakfast, spinning the spoon around in the bowl. The barely-eaten cereal was slowly starting to get soggy, but she couldn't bring herself to eat any of it. Standing back up, Amy took her bowl to the sink, dumping it out before setting the bowl down.

She slipped on her shoes, and headed outside to meet Bobby.

Amy quickly found Bobby working on a car nearby and made her way over to him.

"Hand me that spark plug, would you?" Bobby asked. He was working on something under the hood of the car and didn't even look up at her as she approached.

Amy handed Bobby the requested item. "Is there anything else I can help out with out here?"

"Standing out here, handing me things I need not good enough for ya?"

"I just meant, is there anything I might be able to work on by myself?"

Bobby straightened up. "You remember how to change a tire, right?"

Amy nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Bobby pointed to a nearby car. "Tires on that car right there need to be changed. Just the back two. You can find everything you need right next to it."

"Sure thing." Amy walked over to the car to examine it.

Once Amy finished, she wiped her hands off and walked back to Bobby. "Finished!" she exclaimed.

Bobby stood up to examine her work and nodded. "Not too shabby, kid." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Here," he said as he tossed the item to Amy.

Amy caught what Bobby had tossed to her, examining them to discover that the old hunter had tossed her a set of keys. She held them up. "What are these for?"

"Those are the keys to the car you just fixed," Bobby explained. "And now they're yours."

Amy looked at the keys in confusion. "Thanks, but I already have a car."

"That piece of junk you have now is practically all rust at this point," Bobby said. "This one's way better and now that you've been here a while, you'll need something you can actually use."

Amy pocketed the keys. "Thank you."

"Say, you, uh, you haven't heard from Sam yet have you?"

Amy shook her head. "No. I can't imagine he'd wanna talk to me though. I'm pretty sure he blames me for what happened."

"Don't beat yourself up over this, kid," Bobby said. "What could you have possibly done?"

"I could have told Sam the truth!" Amy yelled, suddenly angry, with tears welling up in her eyes and her voice shaking. "I could have told Sam that there was nothing he could have done to save Dean. I could have told him sooner that Lilith was possessing Ruby. I could have told him...I could have done something." Amy's voice grew softer. "I should have done something."

"Kid, you've been here a year," Bobby told her. "The fact that you still remember anything from this show baffles me."

"I grew up watching this show, Bobby. I've been watching since I was probably ten years old. I may not remember everything, but things like Dean going to hell-" Amy crossed her arms, shifting her weight around on her feet, "-that's not something you forget easily."

"Don't beat yourself up," Bobby said. "Dean knew there was nothing that could have been done and you did too. You shouldn't beat yourself up over something like this."

Amy sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I'm gonna head on inside. Let me know if you need any help with anything else."

Bobby grunted in response and went back to working under the hood.

Amy headed inside the house, only to stand around for a moment, and immediately go back out the front door. Bored out of her mind, she began kicking around a soccer ball. Slowly at first, but eventually she began trying to see how long she could keep the ball in the air. As she did, memories of the soccer team she played on at school began flooding in.

**Flashback: April 25th, 2008 (other universe)**

Nine-year-old Emily stood on the edge of the soccer field, dressed in a uniform that was the smallest size available, but still slightly too big on her. It was the first soccer game of the season and she was more than ready to play. She rocked back and forth eagerly on her feet, unable to contain her excitement.

Emily looked around. Everyone's parents had come to support their children and a little girl had just received a stuffed panda bear from her moms.

Emily looked around some more, looking for any sign of Ms. Claudwell and the other girls. Finally, she spotted them getting out of the minivan. The girls all ran up to her, giving Emily a big hug.

"Good luck today, Emily," Ms. Claudwell told her with a big smile.

"Thank you!"

Emily's coach blew the whistle, calling all the girls on her team over.

"I gotta go," Emily told the girls, before running off.

Emily quickly ran over to join her team. After their coach talked to them for a minute, they were ready to play.

The soccer ball darted across the field and Emily moved as fast as she could to catch up to it. Her tiny feet carried her across the grass and another girl sprinted past her, kicking the ball away further away. Emily began slowing down, almost giving up.

"Come on! Don't stop now!"

Emily looked back to see Ms. Claudwell and the other girls cheering her on. Grinning ear-to-ear, Emily began running faster. She kicked the ball away from the other girl and scored a goal.

The rest of the game went by smoothly. Emily's team ended up coming in second place, but she didn't care because she was still delighted with her success. She ran out with the other girls onto the field to play their own soccer game while everyone else packed up to go home.

**Flashback end:**

Amy kicked the soccer ball back and forth at the side of the house, finally stopping when she got bored. She sighed, wondering what to do.

"'Sup kiddo?"

Amy turned around to see Gabe standing behind her. "Hi." Normally, it would have made her happy to see him, but today it didn't.

Gabe arched an eyebrow. "You don't look so good."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm just not in a great mood today."

Gabe seemed to finally understand what was going on. "Oh. Because of...?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Happened last night."

Gabriel looked disgruntled. "Shit. I'm sorry, kid."

Amy rolled the soccer ball around under her feet. "Why do you care?" she asked.

Gabe suddenly looked taken aback. "Whoa! I can just leave if that's what you prefer." He turned around and started walking away.

"No, wait!" Amy called after him, realizing what she had just said. The archangel stopped, turning back to face her. "I'm sorry, don't go!"

"Hey, I get it kid, I really do," Gabe told her, walking back. "It's not easy losing family."

"No." Amy shook her head. "It's not. Especially after you just got one."

"Hey, Amy, you out here?" Bobby called from the house.

"You started going by your birth name?" Gabe asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, a couple months ago."

"Kid?"

"I think I better go see what he wants," Amy said, nodding her head towards the house.

"Which means, that's my cue to leave." Gabe bent down, giving the small girl a hug. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"You too," Amy replied as she hugged the archangel back.

With a flutter of wings, Gabe left her standing alone once more.

"There you are," Bobby said as he rounded the corner. "Didn't you hear me calling you? The hell are you doing out here anyway?"

"Oh, no, sorry," Amy said. "Just kicking around a soccer ball. What's up?"

"I need you to run to the store for me, pick up a few things." Bobby handed her a list.

Amy took the shopping list. "Sure thing." She looked down at the paper in her hands. "Beer?" she asked incredulously. "Bobby, I'm only eighteen. I won't be able to pick this up."

"I already called the store and let them know you'd be coming," Bobby assured her. "Any problems, have them call me."

Amy nodded. "If you say so." She pocketed the list and walked towards her new car. After checking to make sure her wallet was in her pocket, she started the engine and drove down the road.

Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the drug store. Grabbing her phone and wallet, she got out of her car and headed inside.

Amy walked around the store, grabbing a gallon of milk, a new box of cereal, a container of salt, and the pack of beer Bobby had requested, placing them all into her cart. Once she was done, she brought them up to the register.

"Find everything okay?" the cashier asked as he rang her up.

"Yeah, thanks," Amy replied.

The cashier got to the beer. He pointed to Amy. "What's your name?"

"Amy. Bobby said he called and let you know I was coming."

"He did, but he never said how old you were."

"I'm eighteen."

The cashier shook his head. "Then I'm sorry, but it can't sell this to you."

Amy cocked an eyebrow. "Bobby said if there were any problems, to have you call him."

"Do you have a number I can call?"

Amy nodded as the cashier picked up the phone. She rattled off the number and the cashier dialed it, placing the phone to his ear.

"Hi, is this Bobby?" Pause. "Yeah, I have Amy here trying to buy a pack of beer. You called earlier and told me that she'd be coming but-" the cashier stopped as he listened to Bobby. *Yes, I understand that sir, but she's underage. I can't legally sell this to her." Another pause. Bobby's voice could be heard yelling over the phone as the cashier got a terrified expression on his face. "I could get fired for this!" Another another pause. "Right away, sir." With that, the cashier hung up the phone, immediately ringing up the beer.

"Have a nice day!" he said as he handed Amy her bags.

"You too!" Amy waved as she headed out to her car. She put the bags into the backseat, and drove off.

"Took ya long enough," Bobby said as Amy walked through the front door.

Amy set the bags on the counter, pulling out the groceries and putting them away. "Sorry!" she said. "The cashier almost didn't let me buy the beer because I'm not twenty-one."

Bobby huffed. "Toss me one of those, would ya?"

Amy sighed, pulling out a beer bottle and handing it to Bobby. "I'll be in my room."

Amy walked upstairs to her bedroom. She kicked off her shoes, throwing herself onto her bed.

"Hurry up Castiel," she whispered to the ceiling, knowing it was to basically no avail. Dean would still return from hell on September eighteenth, later this year. She hoped that was still the case, at least.

The next day, Amy woke up to voices downstairs. It sounded like Bobby was talking to someone. She slowly opened her door, creeping downstairs to get a better view.

"She knew, Bobby!" Sam yelled.

"It ain't her fault, boy," Bobby argued.

"She could have saved Dean," Sam bellowed back.

"And for what? Your life instead?"

Amy decided she had heard enough, and turned around to go back into her room.

_*Creak*_

There was silence from downstairs.

"Is she here?" Sam asked, his voice filled with rage.

"Leave her alone," Bobby snapped.

Amy quickly ran towards her room as loud footsteps pounded up the stairs. She had almost made it to the door when Sam grabbed her from behind, spun her around, and pinned her to the wall.

"You knew!" Sam yelled in her face. "You knew Dean would die and you didn't do anything to stop it."

"There was nothing I could have done." Amy snapped. "Nothing that could have changed anything anyway."

"Bullshit!" The hunter spat, shoving her harder into the wall. "We could have saved him and you knew it."

Bobby stormed up the steps. "Let her go, Sam."

"She killed Dean!"

"It ain't her fault!" Bobby bellowed. "Now let her go!"

Sam glared at Amy before reluctantly dropping her to the floor. Amy wasted no time running down the stairs and out of the house.

Amy ran through the junkyard, hiding amongst the cars.

"Cas, answer me, please!" she yelled desperately.

"Why are you yelling for my brother?"

Amy spun around to see that Gabe had returned. "It's about Dean," she said quickly, "and the first seal."

Gabe's eyes widened. "What?"

"You know that whole, when a righteous man sheds blood in hell thing?"

Gabe nodded.

"In a few months, that'll be Dean." Amy's voice was filled with panic as she desperately tried to explain the situation. "Castiel is the one that pulls him from hell but by the time be does, Dean will have already caved."

"How long do we have?"

"Four months."

Gabe quickly flew away without another word, leaving Amy alone once more.

"Oh come on!" she yelled, kicking the tire of a nearby car. A tear streamed down her cheek as she lay down on top of the car, curling into a ball as she began to shake with sobs.

Amy woke up the next morning, still on top of the car. She groaned as she rolled onto the hood and off the car, stretching her stiff muscles.

Amy slowly made her way back to the house, quietly opening the door to make sure the coast was clear. When she didn't see Sam anywhere in view, she headed inside.

She made her way to the kitchen to find Bobby sitting at the table, with Sam sitting across from him. "Hey," she greeted quietly.

"Thought you left," Bobby huffed.

Amy shook her head. "I fell asleep on one of the cars outside."

Sam stood up, storming away without a word, and slamming the door behind him.

"Ignore him," Bobby told Amy, "he's been through a lot."

"We all have," Amy admitted as she poured herself a bowl of cereal, sitting down at the table with Bobby.

The sound of the Impala starting directed both hunter's attention to the window.

"Where the hell does he think he's going?" Bobby growled.

Amy stared out the window as Sam drove away. "I don't know," she said. "I have a feeling we won't see him for a while, though."


	12. Lazarus Rising

**September 18th, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Four months. That was how long Amy had been with Bobby. Four months was also how long it had been since either of them had seen Sam. During that time, she had helped Bobby out on hunts and in the junkyard. They searched for Sam for a couple months also, but after a while, it became pretty apparent that he didn't want to be found.

Amy woke up one morning to find that September 18th had arrived.

 _'Why does that date sound so familiar?_ ' Amy thought as she stared up at the ceiling. She knew today was important to the fandom. What exactly that something was, she couldnt quite-. Amy suddenly sat up, realizing what made today so special. ' _Oh crap! This is the day Dean comes back!_ '

Amy quickly jumped out of bed. She slipped into a pair of black skinny jeans and her black converse, with a matching black tee before running downstairs, almost tripping over her own feet as she did so.

"Hey, be careful over there," Bobby said from the kitchen as Amy almost tumbled down the stairs. "Don't need you breaking your neck or nothing."

"Sorry," Amy said as she picked herself up, "I'm just a little excited is all."

"What's there to be excited about?" Bobby asked. "It's not your birthday is it?"

Amy shook her head. "That was a couple months ago."

"Well it's not Christmas," Bobby continued. "Or Halloween, which I know you love. So what is it?"

Amy opened her mouth to tell him why she was so excited. As soon as she did so though, something came over her. Something that told her revealing the giant surprise now wouldn't be a good idea.

"I can't tell you," she finally said. "But it's huge. Massive even."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "All that excitement over something and you can't even tell me? It's something to do with the show ain't it?"

Amy nodded. "Something that happens today, and when it does, I guarantee you'll be surprised."

Bobby rolled his eyes once more. "Idjit."

Amy grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table with Bobby. Not long after she did, the phone rang.

Amy leaned forward anxiously as Bobby answered the phone.

"Yeah?" Bobby answered gruffly. There was a pause. "Yeah?" He asked again. "Who's "me"?" There was a final pause before Bobby hung up without another word.

"Who was it?" Amy asked.

"Someone pretending to be Dean."

Amy nodded, but didn't say anything.

The phone rang again a moment later and Bobby picked it up angrily.

"Who is this?" the old hunter snarled. There was a pause. "This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill ya." Bobby slammed the phone back down.

Amy ate her breakfast in silence, afraid to say anything that might anger Bobby even more. She finished eating and put her bowl in the sink.

"I'm gonna head to the store," she announced from the kitchen as she grabbed her keys. "Gotta pick up few things. You need anything while I'm out?"

"We're out of milk," Bobby grunted.

"Milk," Amy repeated, "Got it. I'll be back!" She opened the front door and headed out to her car.

Amy drove down the road towards the nearest Target. She parked her car and grabbed her wallet, heading inside the store, grabbing a cart on the way in. She meandered her way slowly through the store, knowing she had a few hours at least, to kill before Dean got back. Walking down each aisle, she grabbed herself some new items for her bathroom, including a new hairbrush and some grapefruit-scented face wipes. She grabbed the milk for Bobby and some more food for the kitchen last before heading to the self-checkout. After paying for everything, she headed back out to her car, loading the bags into the trunk before getting into the driver's seat and driving back towards Bobby's.

Overall, she had only been gone a little over an hour. Amy pulled back up in front of Bobby's a little before noon, parking her car in front of the porch. She grabbed the bags from the trunk and headed inside.

"There you are," Bobby called from his study as she walked through the door.

"I was only gone for an hour," Amy called back as she walked into the kitchen and put the food she had gotten at the store away.

"Well whenever you're done in there, I could use your help with something."

"Sure thing," Amy agreed. "Let me just go put these upstairs and then I'll be right down."

Bobby grunted in response and Amy quickly ran up the stairs, tossing the bags into her room before rushing back down.

"Alright," Amy said, entering Bobby's study, "What's up?"

"Need some help sorting through all this crap," Bobby said, gesturing to the piles of papers and books scattered across the floor.

Amy made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a sigh and a groan. "Fine."

Amy and Bobby spent the next few hours sorting everything their own way. While Bobby opted to simply put everything where it fit, Amy went with actually sorting everything and organizing.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent helping Bobby in the junkyard. As the end of the day neared, Amy found herself growing more and more anxious as the hours passed by.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, there was a knock at the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" Bobby muttered as he walked to the front door, Amy following close behind.

Bobby opened the door and took a step back in shock. Standing on the porch was Dean, looking winded.

"Surprise," Dean said as Bobby stared at him.

Amy moved forward to hug the hunter. "Dean!" she exclaimed.

Bobby put a hand out, stopping the young girl in her tracks. "I, I don't..."

Dean took a step inside the house as Bobby backed up, keeping his hand in front of Amy to stop her from running forward. "Yeah, me neither," he said, taking a look around. "But here I am."

Bobby suddenly lunged forward, wielding a silver knife.

"Bobby stop!" Amy cried out, grabbing Bobby's arm to stop him from attacking Dean.

"Bobby! It's me!" Dean yelled.

"This is what I was so excited about earlier," Amy continued. "That thing I couldn't tell you about."

"My ass!" Bobby shouted, shoving Amy's arm away and lunging for Dean once more.

Dean shoved a chair between himself and Bobby. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!" he said frantically, holding out a hand. "Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and... you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Bobby. It's me."

Bobby's face fell as he lowered the knife, stepping forward. Amy sighed in relief as the old hunter placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, but the relief vanished quickly as Bobby slashed at Dean with the knife again.

Amy once again grabbed Bobby's arm, pulling it back. "Bobby, I'm telling you, it's really Dean!" she cried out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I didn't want to ruin anything!"

Dean snatched the knife from Bobby. "If I wasn't me, could I do this – with a silver knife?" He rolled up his sleeve and grimaced as he sliced his arm with the knife, letting the blood run down his arm.

Bobby stared at the man. "Dean?" he asked in disbelief.

Amy sighed in relief again. "Yes, finally."

Dean nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Bobby pulled Dean into a tight, long hug. "It's... It's good to see you, boy," he said when they pulled apart.

"Yeah, you too," Dean said

"But... how did you bust out?" Bobby asked.

' _Chuck_ ,' Amy thought, smiling to herself as she remembered the iconic line delivered by Castiel at the end of the episode. A line she knew she could never forget.

"I don't know," Dean admitted. "I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..."

The hunter's words were interrupted as Bobby splashed him in the face with holy water.

Amy chuckled as Dean paused before spitting the water out.

"I'm not a demon either, you know," Dean informed Bobby.

"Sorry." Bobby shrugged. "Can't be too careful." He turned to Amy. "You knew about this?"

Amy nodded. "Sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"I'm honestly surprised you remembered," Dean added. "Hasn't it been almost two years since you watched the show?"

Amy nodded. "It has. But September 18th, 2008 is a pretty iconic date in the fandom for this exact reason. Some things you just can't forget."

"But who pulled me out?" Dean asked.

"Spoilers," Amy said in a sing-song voice.

"Let's go into the study," Bobby suggested as he tossed Dean a towel.

Amy and Dean followed Bobby into the study as Dean dried his face off.

"That don't make a lick of sense," Bobby said as they entered the room.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're preaching to the choir," Dean said as he tossed the towel to the side.

Bobby spun around. "Dean. Your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried four months. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit -"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject," Dean finished.

"Can you at least give us a hint?" Bobby asked, turning to Amy.

"You'll find out later," Amy replied, smiling knowingly.

Bobby sighed, turning back to Dean. "What do you remember?"

"Not much," Dean said as he fiddled with some stuff on Bobby's desk. "I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." Bobby sat down as Dean continued. "Sam's number's not working. He's, uh... he's not..."

"Oh, he's alive. As far as I know," Bobby informed the hunter.

Dean nodded. "Good." He paused as he processed Bobby's words. "Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

Bobby shrugged. "I haven't talked to him for months."

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself?" Dean asked angrily.

"Well I sure as hell wasn't going to stop him," Amy muttered. Dean stared at her in confusion.

"And he was dead set on it," Bobby continued.

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him," Dean argued.

"I tried," Bobby shouted. "He attacked Amy after you died. Said it was her fault you had died. These last few months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For him, Amy, or me. We had to bury you."

"Why did you bury me, anyway?" Dean asked.

Bobby sighed. "I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But... Sam wouldn't have it."

Dean scoffed. "Well, I'm glad he won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow." Bobby shook his head. "That's about all he said."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"He was quiet. Real quiet," Bobby recalled. "And then he just took off. Wouldn't return my calls. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."

'Oh, damnit, Sammy," Dean groaned.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"Oh, he got me home okay," Dean said. "But whatever he did, it is bad mojo."

Amy held out a hand. "Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there. Sam had nothing to do with this."

"Well then what did?" Dean asked. "If not Sam, then who, Amy? Who?"

"It- I-" Amy struggled to find the right words. She knew Dean and Bobby would find out about Cas and the other angels later on, but she still didn't know if she should tell them so early on. "You-"

"You'll find out later," Dean interrupted. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He turned back to Bobby. "You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this," he gestured his hands around as he struggled to find the words, "this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this." Dean took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a handprint branded on his arm, near the shoulder.

"What in the hell?" Bobby asked.

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out," Dean guessed.

' _Not a demon_ ,' Amy thought.

"But why?" Bobby asked.

Dean shrugged. "Beats me. I'd say to hold up the end of a deal Sam made, but Amy's insisting he had nothing to do with this, and I don't exactly have a reason not to believe her. Only question now is where is Sam?"

Dean crossed the room and picked up the phone, dialing a number. There was a brief pause before he spoke. "Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me." Another pause." Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is two four seven four." Dean paused again. "Thank you." He hung up and crossed the room towards a laptop on the table.

"How'd you know he'd use that name?" Bobby questioned.

"You kiddin' me? What don't I know about that kid?" Dean countered. He opened a web browser on the laptop. He typed in the address to the phone company website and typed the information to track Sam's phone in. While he waited for the page to load, Dean picked up an empty beer bottle sitting on the desk. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store? What, are your parents out of town or something?"

"You really have to ask?" Amy asked.

"Like I said. Last few months ain't been all that easy," Bobby said.

Dean held Bobby's gaze for a bit before setting the bottle down. "Right." The laptop beeped and Amy leaned over Dean's shoulder to read what was on the screen.

The laptop screen showed a blue arrow pointing to a star with a message underneath that read:

Phone Location:

263 Adams Road

Pontiac, Illinois.

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois," Dean read out loud.

"Right near where you were planted," Bobby recalled.

Dean nodded. "Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"Okay, again," Amy repeated, "Sam had nothing to do with this. He wasn't the one that brought you back."

"Well then who did?"

"An angel named Castiel, okay?" Amy blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Angels?" Dean scoffed. "There's no such thing."

Amy shrugged. "Fine. Don't believe me. You'll find out anyway in a day or so."

"Angels?" Dean asked again. "Seriously?"

Amy nodded. ' _Yeah_ ,' she thought. ' _And you've already encountered one, you just don't know it yet. The trickster is really the archangel Gabriel. God is real too. He goes by Chuck and as we speak, he's writing books about you._ ' Amy's eyes met the floor. ' _At least, I assume he is._ '

"Aimes?" Dean asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

"What?" Amy asked, coming back to reality. "Yeah, totally. I'm good."

Dean nodded slowly. "Okay. 'Cause it looked like you were contemplating something there."

Amy shrugged. "I was thinking, but it wasn't important. Just random nonsense."

Dean nodded again, seeming to somewhat accept her answer.

* * *

**September 19th, 2008 - Astoria Motel, Pontiac, IL**

The next day, Bobby drove them back to Pontiac Illinois. They arrived at the Astoria motel late at night and, after getting the room number from the front desk, made their way up to room 207.

The hunters made their way to a door with a heart on it. Dean gave Bobby a glance before knocking. A moment later, a woman wearing only a tank top and underwear opened the door, looking at them expectedly.

"So where is it?" The woman asked.

"Where's what?" Dean asked in confusion.

"The pizza..." the woman glanced around at the three people standing in the hall, "that takes two guys and a teenager to deliver?"

Dean chuckled nervously. "I think we got the wrong room."

As he turned to leave, another voice sounded from inside the room. Dean turned back to see Sam step around the corner.

"Hey is..." the younger Winchester stopped as he saw Dean, Bobby, and Amy standing there. He didn't say anything as he stared in shock at his brother.

"Heya, Sammy," Dean said quietly as he stepped into the room. He ignored the woman, who stepped aside to let him in. As Dean got closer, Sam pulled out a knife, lunging at Dean much like Bobby had earlier. Bobby and Amy immediately jumped forward to stop him.

"Who are you?!" Sam shouted as he struggled with the other hunters.

"It's him. It's him," Bobby yelled as he grabbed Sam's arm. "I've been through this already, it's really him."

Sam relaxed as he stared at Dean, dropping the knife. "What..."

Dean took a few steps towards his brother. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?"

Bobby and Amy let go of Sam, who stepped forward and pulled his brother into a hug. There was an awkward silence as Sam pushed his brother out to arms length to get a good look at him.

"So are you two like... together?" the woman asked, breaking the silence.

Sam looked at the woman, as if he was just remembering she was there. "What?" he asked. "No. No. He's my brother."

The woman nodded slowly. "Uh... got it. I... I guess." She pointed to the door. "Look, I should probably go."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry."

* * *

A short while later, the woman, who now had on a pair of jeans and a blue plaid shirt, walked to the door as Sam opened it for her.

"So, call me," the woman said as she walked out the door.

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."

The woman frowned, looking disappointed. "Kristy," she corrected.

"Right."

The woman left and Sam shut the door, joining everyone else on the couch. Dean crossed his arms as his brother entered the room, smiling.

"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean asked.

Sam smiled. "The girl? I don't pay, Dean."

"That's not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What'd it cost? Amy said you had nothing to do with it, but she has been known not to tell us everything from time to time."

"Hey!" Amy cried out, slightly offended.

"You think I made a deal?" Sam asked

"That's exactly what we think," Bobby confirmed.

Amy leaned back in slight defeat. She didn't know why she was even bothering anymore. They'd find out sooner or later anyway.

"Well, I didn't," Sam insisted, sitting in a chair.

"Don't lie to me," Dean said intensely.

"I'm not lying," Sam said, his voice rising. "And did Amy tell you she knew you would die no matter what? Or that she apparently knew you'd come back?"

"You can't honestly expect her to tell us every little detail, can you?" Dean asked. "So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy?" He advanced towards his brother, his voice growing angrier with each word. "I didn't want to be saved like this."

Sam stood up. "Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?"

"There's no other way that this could have gone down," Dean said, grabbing Sam's shirt. "Now tell the truth!"

"He is!" Amy shouted, stepping forward.

Sam broke Dean's grasp. "I tried everything," he said sternly. "That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right?" Sam's voice began to shake. "You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean relented. "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact," Bobby spoke, "but it does raise a sticky question."

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?" Dean asked. "Got any beer, Sammy?"

Sam left the room, returning a moment later with three beer bottles, which he passed out to Dean and Bobby, keeping the last one for himself.

"So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean asked as he opened his drink.

Sam sat back down in the chair. "Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback."

"All by yourself?" Bobby accused. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

Dean frowned, crossing the room towards something that caught his eye.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby," Sam said as Dean walked away. "I should have called. I was pretty messed up."

"Oh yeah," Dean said sarcastically as he held up a pink bra. "I really feel your pain."

Sam scoffed, shaking his head at his brother. "Anyways, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."

"When?" Dean asked.

"Yesterday morning."

Dean looked over at Bobby. "When I busted out."

"You think these things are here 'cause of you?" Bobby asked.

"But why?"

' _Because God commanded it,_ ' Amy thought, ' _because we have work for you._ '

"-It's gotta be connected somehow," Dean said, drawing Amy back to reality.

"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked.

"I'm a little hungry," Dean admitted.

Bobby shook his head. "No, I mean, do you feel like yourself?" he asked. "Anything strange, or different?"

"Or demonic?" Dean interrupted. Bobby shrugged. "Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?"

"Yeah. Well, listen," Bobby said. "No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine," Dean insisted.

"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning," Sam spoke. "We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help."

"I know a psychic," Bobby told them. "A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."

Amy smiled. "Oh yeah. Pamela right?"

Bobby nodded. "Yep."

"Hell yeah, it's worth a shot," Dean decided.

"I'll be right back," Bobby said before leaving the room.

Dean stood up as well, turning to walk away.

"Hey, wait," Sam said, stopping his brother. "You probably want this back." He reached inside his collar and pulled out a cord, revealing Dean's amulet around his neck. He handed it to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean said as he took the amulet.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Sam paused as Dean put the amulet on. "Hey Dean, what was it like?"

"What, Hell?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."

Sam nodded again. "Well, thank God for that."

"Yeah." Dean turned and walked towards the bathroom.

Amy sat awkwardly on the couch as she was left alone with Sam. The younger Winchester looked at her, and she turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

"You knew," Sam said quietly.

Amy didn't say anything.

"You knew Dean would come back," Sam continued, "and you just let me think he was gone forever!"

Amy suddenly found herself once again pinned up against the wall by an angry Sam.

"Well you didn't exactly give me a chance to let me tell you!" Amy shouted angrily. "You attacked me just like this on the first night and, after I spent the rest of the night avoiding you, you left. And it's not like you were answering your phone for four months!"

"You still should have told me!" Sam shouted.

"How?!"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Dean shouted as he ran over, pulling Sam off of Amy, who fell to the floor. "Leave her alone."

"She knew you'd come back, Dean!"

"There was nothing she could have done!" Dean shouted, pushing his brother away. "There was nothing anyone could have done. We're not gonna get anything done if you two are fighting."

"Four months-" Sam whispered harshly.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Amy whispered.

* * *

Bobby led them out of the room and back down to the parking lot. "She's about four hours down the Interstate," he told them as they walked towards the cars. "Try to keep up." He got in his car and drove off.

Sam, Dean, and Amy walked to the Impala.

"I assume you'll want to drive," Sam said, as he reached in his pocket and tossed the keys towards Dean.

Dean chuckled as he caught the keys. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He ran a hand along the top of the car. "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

"Do you two need some time alone?" Amy joked.

Dean gave her a look before sliding into the driver's seat. Amy climbed into the backseat as Sam got into the passenger side.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked Sam, pointing to an iPod jack mounted on the dash.

"That's an iPod jack," Sam answered.

"You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up," Dean snapped.

"Dean, I thought it was my car," Sam defended.

Dean sneered and turned the key in the ignition. A song by Jason Manns began to play through the speakers and Dean glared at his brother. "Really?"

Sam shrugged innocently and Dean ripped the iPod out of the jack, tossing it into the backseat.

"Hey watch it!" Amy yelled as she dodged the flying device.

Amy leaned against the window as Dean pulled the car onto the main road and started following Bobby towards Pamela's house. She fidgeted anxiously in her seat as they sped down the empty road.

"What's got you so excited back there?" Dean asked, glancing at her through the rear-view mirror.

'Nothing," Amy said, shaking her head. ' _Just that we're gonna meet Castiel in a couple of days and I'm super exited._ '

"You sure?" Dean asked. "'Cause you're jumping up and down like a little kid waiting for Santa to show up."

"Okay," Amy admitted, "I am excited about something. But I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

Dean shook her head. "If you say so."

* * *

Dean drove the Impala down the dark road. "There's still one thing that's bothering me," he said after a while.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, turning away from the window.

"Yeah, the night that I bit it. Or... got bit." Dean chuckled at his own wit before continuing. "How'd you two make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

Sam shrugged. "Well, she tried," he said. "She couldn't."

Dean looked at his brother in confusion. "What do you mean, she couldn't?"

Amy leaned forward. "There was this bright light," she recalled. "I remember I couldn't see anything for a few moments and once it faded, Lilith left."

"It was like she was trying to kill me with it," Sam continued. "But it didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something."

"Immune?" Dean repeated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh," Dean said, slightly unsure. "What about Ruby, where is she?" he asked.

"Dead," Sam replied grimly. "For now."

Dean paused for a moment before finally asking. "So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"

"No," Sam said sternly.

"You sure about that?" Dean questioned. "Well, I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on."

"Nothing, Dean," Sam said again, louder. "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road," he insisted. "It was practically your dying wish."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, well, let's keep it that way."

* * *

They reached Pamela's house early the next morning. Bobby led them up the porch steps and knocked on the door. A moment later, a woman opened the door.

"Bobby!" Pamela greeted, pulling Bobby into a hug that lifted him off the ground.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby said with a grin.

Pamela stepped back, eyeing the other hunters. "So, these them?"

"Sam, Dean, Amy. This is Pamela Barnes," Bobby introduced, "best damn psychic in the state.'

"Hey," Dean flirted.

"Hi," Sam greeted awkwardly.

Amy waved. "Hello."

"Mmm-mmm-mmm," Pamela said, looking Dean over. "Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

Dean shrugged. "If you say so."

"Come on in." Pamela stood back, allowing them to enter the house. She shut the door behind them.

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked.

"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits," Pamela replied as she led them further into the house. "No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."

"So what's next?" Bobby asked.

"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."

"You're not gonna... summon the damn thing here," Bobby asked, a little nervously.

"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it." Pamela leaned against Bobby playfully. "Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

"I'm game," Dean said with a shrug.

Amy nodded. "Me too."

* * *

Pamela began setting up the table. She laid a black tablecloth covered in symbols on it before kneeling in front of a cabinet.

"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked. Amy looked over to see a tattoo that read "Jesse Forever" on Pamela's lower back.

Pamela laughed as she stood back up. "Well, it wasn't forever."

"His loss."

Pamela walked up to Dean, holding several candles in her hands. She smirked. "Might be your gain."

Dean watched Pamela walk away. "Dude, I am so in," he whispered to his brother.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, she's gonna eat you alive."

"Hey, I just got out of jail," Dean taunted. "Bring it."

Pamela walked by again, winking at Sam. "You're invited too, grumpy."

Dean jabbed a finger at his brother. "You are NOT invited."

* * *

Once everything was set up, everyone sat around the table.

"Right. Take each other's hands," Pamela instructed. Amy took Sam and Dean's hands. "And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." Pamela reached under the table and a moment later, Dean jumped in his seat.

Dean laughed nervously. "Whoa. Well, he didn't touch me there."

"My mistake," Pamela said slyly.

Dean looked around nervously, before rolling up his sleeve, revealing the handprint brand. Pamela placed her hand on it.

"Okay," Pamela said as she closed her eyes. Everyone else followed suit and Pamela began to chant. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command." Pamela paused. "Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

"Castiel?" Dean asked.

"Its name," Pamela answered. "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."

Amy opened her eyes as the table began to shake. Around her, Sam, Dean, and Bobby opened their eyes as well.

Pamela continued chanting. "I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."

"Maybe we should stop," Bobby suggested as the rattling became more violent.

"I agree with Bobby," Amy said. "I really think you should stop."

"I almost got it," Pamela insisted. "I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

The flames on the candles flared up several feet and Pamela screamed. She opened her eyes to reveal that they were filled with a white-hot flame.

"Shit!" Amy exclaimed as she let go of the Winchester's hands and ran to grab her phone to call an ambulance.

"Call 9-1-1!" Bobby shouted.

"Already am!" Amy yelled as she put the phone to her ear.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

Amy quickly relayed the situation to the operator who told her an ambulance was on the way. As she listened to the operator tell her to stay on the line, Amy looked back in the other room. Pamela was on the ground, sobbing. A closer look revealed empty sockets where her eyes should have been.

"I can't see! I can't see!" Pamela sobbed. "Oh god!'

Not long after, Amy heard the sirens from an approaching ambulance. She hung up, and joined the others in the next room.

* * *

After Pamela was loaded into the ambulance and Bobby took off in his own car, following her to the hospital, Sam, Dean, and Amy got back into the Impala.

Dean drove them to a local diner. Amy followed Dean inside while Sam stayed behind to talk to Bobby on the phone.

"What can I get started for you guys today?" a waitress asked once they had settled into a booth.

"Three pies please," Dean ordered.

The waitress smiled. "Be up in a jiff."

The waitress left as Sam entered the diner.

"You bet," Sam said into his phone before hanging up. He sat down next to Amy.

"What'd Bobby say?" Dean asked.

"Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U.," Sam explained.

"And blind," Amy recalled.

"Yeah, because of us," Dean finished.

"And we still have no clue who we're dealing with." Sam sighed.

"That's not entirely true," Dean corrected.

"No?"

"We got a name," Dean reminded his brother. "Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."

Sam scoffed. "You're crazy. Absolutely not."

"It's actually not a bad idea," Amy said.

Sam looked at her. "What? Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you two want to have a face to face?"

"Pamela's eye's only burnt out because she saw Cas's true form or whatever. As long as he has a vessel, we'll be fine."

"But that's only if he has one," Sam pointed out.

"You got a better idea?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?"

"Okay," Dean said, nodding as well.

"So, we go find them," Sam suggested. "Someone's gotta know something about something."

The waitress from earlier reappeared with three plates, each with a slice of pie on them.

"Thanks," Sam said as she set the plates on the table.

Instead of leaving, the waitress set a chair at the end of the table, sitting down in it.

Dean smirked. "You angling for a tip?"

"I'm sorry," the waitress sneered. "I thought you were looking for us." Her eyes went black for a moment before returning to normal. Around them, a uniformed man and cook's eyes turned black as well. The uniformed man went to the door, standing in front of it.

"A diner run by demons." Amy scoffed. "Lovely."

Dean," the demon waitress snarled. "To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck." She spat out the last few words.

"That's me," Dean said in an unnervingly cool voice.

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh?" the waitress asked. "Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples," Dean joked dryly. His smile faded. "I don't know," he admitted. "Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."

The waitress didn't seem to buy it. "Right. You don't."

"No. I don't," Dean said sternly.

"Lying's a sin, you know."

"I'm not lying," Dean insisted. "But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me," Dean read the nametag, "Flo..."

"Mind your tone with me, boy," the demon warned. "I'll drag you back to hell myself."

Sam shifted in his seat, but Amy stopped him. "Don't," she warned. "She isn't a threat."

"She's right," Dean told his brother. He turned back to the demon. "No, you won't."

"No?" the demon asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No," Dean repeated. "Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla." Dean shrugged. "Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."

"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs," the demon threatened. Dean leaned forward, daring her. He threw a right hook at her face, but the demon just sat there glaring.

"That's what I thought." Dean stood up. "Sammy, Amy, let's go." He pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket, dropping it on the table. "For the pie." Then he left.

The hunters quickly made their way to the car.

"Holy crap, that was close," Dean said once they reached the safety of the Impala.

"That was awesome." Amy beamed.

"We're not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Well yeah," Dean decided, "there's three of them, probably more, and we've only got one knife between us."

"I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately," Sam insisted.

"Not anymore – the smarter brother's back in town," Dean said as he pulled the Impala out of the parking lot.

"Dean, we've got to take 'em," Sam argued. "They are dangerous."

"They're scared," Dean corrected. "Okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time."

* * *

They arrived back at Sam's motel late that night. Within an hour, they had fallen asleep,Amy curled up in a chair and Dean on the floor.

A sharp whining noise brought Amy out of her slumber. She opened her eyes as Dean woke up, and looked around to see the television flickering with static. The radio turned on as Dean grabbed his shotgun.

A painfully high-pitched noise began to sound around them. Amy quickly looked over to find Sam's bed empty as she covered her ears along with Dean. A moment later, a mirror on the ceiling above Dean shattered and glass began pouring on top of him. Dean fell to the floor, still covering his ears, and Amy quickly ran up to him.

"Will you get a damn vessel already, Cas?" Amy shouted at the ceiling. "He can't understand anything you're saying!"

More glass began shattering around them as Bobby burst into the room.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled as he ran through the broken glass.

Amy helped Bobby get Dean out to the car, the noise fading away. She helped Bobby get Dean into the passenger seat before climbing into the back. Bobby tossed them each a towel.

"How you doin', kid?" Bobby asked as Dean wiped the blood off his face.

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy," Dean replied dryly.

Bobby glanced at Amy. "How 'bout you, kid?"

Amy pulled a piece of glass from her hair. "I'm okay."

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed a number before holding the phone to his ear. "What are you doing?" he asked after a while. There was a pause. "In my car?" he asked angrily. "Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer." Bobby gave him a look and Dean held up a finger. "Done. Catch you later." Dean hung up.

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby asked.

"Because he just tried to stop us," Dean replied grimly.

"From what?"

"Summoning Castiel," Amy answered.

"Exactly," Dean confirmed. Bobby looked at him in shock. "It's time we faced it head-on."

"You can't be serious!" Bobby exclaimed.

Dean's face was dead serious. "As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."

"Well, we don't know what it is," Bobby argued. "It could be a demon, it could be anything."

"I already told you," Amy said, "it's not a demon."

"Well, we've got to be ready for anything." Dean pulled out Ruby's knife. "We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk..."

"This is a bad idea," Bobby muttered.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?" Dean asked darkly.

"We could choose life," Bobby suggested.

Dean shifted in his seat. "Bobby, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."

"Dean, we could use Sam on this," Bobby insisted.

"Nah, he's better off where he is," Dean promised.

* * *

**September 20th, 2008 - Abandoned warehouse**

Sometime after midnight, Bobby pulled off the highway onto a dirt road that led to an abandoned warehouse. They got out and Amy was handed a duffle bag, which she carried into the empty building. She set the bag down on the floor next to Dean's.

"Amy, why don't you start with a Devil's trap," Dean decided, pointing to the center of the room. "Over there."

Amy opened the bag and grabbed a spray can of paint. Even though she knew it was unnecessary, she walked over and began spraying the paint on the ground.

* * *

Within an hour or two, they were finished. Signs and sigils lined the walls and Dean had laid out several weapons on a table.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean commented to Bobby.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe," Bobby answered. "How you doin?"

Dean pointed to each weapon. "Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife," he listed each item off. "I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."

"This is still a bad idea," Bobby repeated.

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times," Dean snapped. "What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"

Bobby nodded reluctantly and made his way to a different table, where a bowl sat on the surface. He sprinkled some contents into it and chanted something in Latin as the bowl began to smoke. After a moment, the smoke died down and nothing happened.

"Well, that was disappointing," Amy announced.

"Maybe we should just wait?" Dean suggested.

Amy sighed before sitting on top of a barrel. A moment later, Dean and Bobby followed her example.

* * *

Several minutes passed and nothing happened.

"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean asked, breaking the silence. Bobby glared at him. "Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

As if on cue, the roof began to rattle. Bobby and Dean stood up, arming themselves with shotguns, but Amy stayed put, not moving from her seat.

"Wishful thinking," Dean said hopefully, "but maybe it's just the wind."

The doors burst open and a man in a business suit and trenchcoat, with messy black hair walked in. Amy winces as the lightbulbs shattered above Castiel's head, sparks flying as he walked further into the room. Her breath caught in her throat as Bobby and Dean opened fire, shooting round after round into the angel's chest.

Dean grabbed the demon knife from behind him. "Who are you?" he snarled.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," Cas replied. Amy found herself smiling at the iconic line.

"Yeah. Thanks for that," Dean replied sarcastically before plunging the knife into Castiel's chest.

Cas looked at the knife and pulled it out, unconcerned. Bobby swung an iron rod at the angel from behind, but Cas merely blocked it without looking and tore the weapon out of the hunter's hand. He touched Bobby on the forehead, and the old hunter crumbled to the ground.

Castiel turned back to Dean. "We need to talk, Dean," he turned to Amy, "alone."

The angel began approaching the young girl.

"Wait, wait, wait," Amy said frantically as Cas got closer. "Hold up, angel boy."

Instead of answering, Cas put two fingers on her forehead as well, and she too fell to the ground.

* * *

Amy was woken up by Dean a short while later. "What happened?" she asked.

"Castiel happened," Dean replied. "Sorry I didn't believe you."

Amy sat up. "It's okay. But it wouldn't kill you to listen to me more in the future." She rubbed her head. "So what'd angel boy say?"

"Just that he had work for me," Dean explained as he helped her to her feet. "Bobby's already outside packing up the car."

Dean led Amy out to Bobby's car.

"'Bout time you guys showed up," Bobby called out as they approached.

"Had to wake Sleeping Beauty up here," Dean joked, pointing at Amy, who responded by hitting Dean in the shoulder.

"Well hurry up," Bobby said. "Sam's already on his way back to my place. We're gonna meet him there."

"Sounds good." Amy climbed into the back, lying down to get across the seat to get some much-needed sleep as Bobby pulled onto the main road.


	13. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester

**September 22nd, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Two days after meeting Cas, Amy woke up in her room at Bobby's house and made her way downstairs to find the others in Bobby's study, surrounded by books.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be," Sam was yelling.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel," Dean insisted.

"Hate to break it to you, Dean," Amy said, announcing her presence, "but you were. Besides, if I recall correctly, he showed you saw his wings."

"I saw a freakin' shadow on the wall," Dean snapped. "Besides, how do we know he's not some kind of demon? Demons lie."

" _I_ know he's not a demon," Amy insisted.

"Besides, you said yourself he's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps and Ruby's knife," Sam continued. "Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one?" Dean asked. "At some point... ever?"

' _I've seen one,_ ' Amy thought, thinking of Gabriel. ' _Technically you have too_ , _before Cas_.'

"Yeah. You just did, Dean," Sam said obviously.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay?" Dean snapped. "Work with me."

"Last I checked, we did have a theory," Amy said.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."

"Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we -"

Dean cut his brother off. "Okay, okay. That's the point," he said. "We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"So you can believe that demons exist, but not angels?" Amy questioned.

"You three chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby cut in from his desk.

The Winchesters and Amy made their way over. Bobby had piles of books stacked around his desk.

"I got stacks of lore - Biblical, pre-Biblical," Bobby listed off. "Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean asked quickly.

"What else, what?"

"What else could do it?" Dean repeated.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box?" Bobby shook his head. "As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Told you," Amy whispered. Dean glared at her.

"Dean, this is good news," Sam insisted.

"How?"

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap," Sam replied. "I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

"Okay. Say it's true," Dean said, starting to buy it slightly. "Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

' _Uh, yeah, actually_ ,' Amy thought, ' _He goes by Chuck though. He also writes books about you and he's pretending to be human. You'll meet him in a few episodes_.'

Bobby nodded. "At this point, Vegas money's on yeah," he spoke.

Dean sighed. "I don't know, guys."

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof," Sam insisted.

"Proof?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes."

"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally?" Dean shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

Sam's face fell. "Why not?"

"Because why me?" Dean asked. "If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"

"Dean, come on," Amy muttered.

"I mean, I've saved some people, okay?" Dean's voice began to shake. "I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

Sam shrugged. "Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs."

"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by," Dean struggled to find the words, "God."

"Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat," Sam insisted.

"Fine," Dean finally said, throwing his arms up in defeat. "What do we know about angels?"

In response, Bobby picked up a stack of books, dropping them on the desk in front of him. "Start reading."

Dean stared at the books, then jabbed a finger at his brother. "You're gonna get me some pie." He angrily grabbed a book from the top of the pile, walking off to read it.

Sam groaned before grabbing the keys to the Impala and walking out the front door.

Amy sighed, before following suit, sitting on the nearby couch as she opened to the first page of the book she had grabbed.

* * *

Amy rubbed her eyes as the words began to swarm around on the page. Her legs were sore from being curled up on the couch long enough to read several books. Bobby was pacing in the kitchen, holding a phone to his ear. After a moment, he hung up, swearing under his breath.

"What's up?" Amy asked.

"You remember Olivia, right?" Bobby asked. Amy nodded. "I can't get a hold of her. Figured she could help with this whole angel thing, but I haven't been able to reach her."

"How far out is she?" Dean asked. "We could go check on her if we've got time."

"Only a few hours," Amy replied.

"We should head out once Sam gets back," Bobby said.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Amy heard the faint sound of the Impala driving towards the house. "Sounds like Sam's back," she told the other hunters.

"You can hear that?" Dean asked, straining to hear the car.

Amy shrugged. "It's faint, but yeah."

Bobby led Dean and Amy out of the house, where Sam was pulling up in the car. Dean gave Amy a look.

"Keep the engine running," Bobby instructed.

"Why? What's going on?" Sam asked in confusion.

"I got a friend one state over - Olivia Lowry," Bobby explained. "I've been trying to reach her for three days on this angel thing. It's not like her to ignore this many calls."

"Olivia Lowry." Sam nodded. "A hunter, right?"

"Yeah. We're gonna go check on her. You guys follow me." Bobby headed to his own car as Dean pushed Sam over to the passenger side and Amy got into the back.

Dean grabbed the bag of food from Sam, looking inside. After a beat, he looked up, glaring at his brother. "Dude?"

Sam turned to Dean. "Yeah?"

"Where's the pie?" Dean asked firmly.

Sam shrugged innocently and Dean tossed the bag into the back with Amy, glaring at his brother again before starting the engine.

* * *

A few hours later, Dean pulled the Impala into the driveway of a house. They grabbed a couple guns and followed Bobby inside.

"Olivia?" Bobby called out as they entered the house.

Walking into another room, they found Olivia lying on the floor, dead and covered in blood.

Amy sighed, letting her pistol fall to her side. "Great."

Without a word, Bobby walked into another room.

"Bobby?" Dean asked as he watched the older hunter walk away.

Sam pointed to something in the doorway. "Salt line."

Sam, Dean, and Amy began to look around the room.

"Olivia was rocking the EMF meter," Dean said as he picked the device up.

Sam nodded. "Spirit activity."

"Yeah - on steroids," Dean agreed. "I never seen a ghost do this to a person."

Bobby reentered the room, his phone in his hand.

"Bobby, you all right?" Dean asked, straightening back up.

"I called some hunters nearby," Bobby began.

"Good. We can use their help," Dean interrupted.

"...except they ain't answering their phones either," Bobby finished.

"Something's up, huh?" Sam asked.

"Sounds like it," Amy answered.

"You think?" Bobby asked. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before following Bobby out, Amy following close behind.

"You three to check on Jed. He's in Jackson." Bobby scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Here's his address and phone number. I'm gonna go check on a couple other hunters in the opposite direction."

Dean nodded. "Sure thing, Bobby."

Bobby got in his car and drove off. After a beat, the Winchesters and Amy got back into the Impala.

Dean drove for hours towards the address given to him by Bobby, as he tried over and over to get a hold of the hunter. He dialed the number again, giving Sam a look when nobody picked up.

"Jed, Dean Winchester again - friend of Bobby Singer's," Dean said into his phone. "Look, we think something's happening. We think it's happening to hunters. Just want to make sure you're okay. Call me back." He hung up. "What the hell is going on around here?"

"I wish I knew," Amy admitted.

* * *

**Jackson, Mississippi**

A short while later, they arrived at a white country house. Dean passed out the guns again and the hunters made their way inside.

Much like Olivia, they found Jed on the ground, dead, with his chest ripped out. Broken glass lay on the ground as well as salt, which had clearly been thrown.

"I'm gonna ask again," Dean spoke, "What the hell is going on around here?"

Amy shrugged, but stayed silent. She turned to look back at Jed. His shotgun was lying next to his body.

"You're little miss 'TV show'," Amy heard Dean say. "You really don't have any idea?"

Amy sighed. "Dean, I already told you, no I don't have any idea what's going on. Besides, it's been two years since I watched any of the show at this point." She turned back around. "I can remember some major events still, but do you honestly expect me to remember something like this?"

Dean looked at Amy in confusion. "I didn't say anything," he said after a beat.

Amy cocked an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say 'you're little miss TV show?'" she asked. "And then ask if I really didn't have any idea what was going on?"

Dean shook his head, but shared a glance with Sam. "You must be hearing things."

"But I could have sworn-"

Sam stopped her. "Okay, uh, we should probably call Bobby. Let him know what happened."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, okay." He led them out of the house, dialing Bobby's number as they walked back to the car.

"We're in Jackson," Dean told Bobby through the phone. "It's not pretty. He looks even worse than Olivia. What about you?" There was a pause. "What the hell is going on here, Bobby? Why did a bunch of ghosts suddenly want to gank off-duty hunters?" Another pause. "We're on our way." Dean hung up the phone.

"Bobby wants us to head back to his place," he told Sam and Amy. "We'll figure out what's going on there."

Amy nodded. "Okay."

Dean took the keys out of his pocket, tossing them to Sam, who caught them. "Here," he said. "I wanna get some sleep."

Sam drove the Impala through the night as Dean slept in the passenger seat. He stopped at a gas station, placing the pump into the gas tank before leaning back into the car.

"Wait here with Dean, okay?" he asked Amy. "I'll be right back."

Amy nodded. "Sure thing." She watched Sam walk into the nearby restroom, before turning to stare at the road out the window.

The car was silent until Dean reawoke. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

"Bathroom," Amy answered, pointing in the direction Sam had gone in.

Dean groaned, looking at the time. "I'm gonna go check on him." He opened the door, stepping out into the night. "Be right back."

Amy leaned back in her seat as she watched Dean walk away. The pump stopped and she opened her door to put it back.

While Amy was putting the pump back and closing the gas tank to the car, Sam and Dean stumbled out of the bathroom. Dean was pulling a bleeding, barely conscious Sam next to him.

"Holy shit, what happened?" Amy asked.

"Henriksen," Dean replied as he helped Sam into the passenger side.

"Henriksen?" Amy asked. "Isn't he-"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Get in, we gotta get going."

Amy finished closing up the gas tank before climbing back into the backseat.

Dean dialed Bobby's number as he sped down the road. "Damn it, Bobby! Pick up!" he yelled angrily when there was no response. He redialled the number, turning to Sam as he put the phone back to his ear. "How you feeling, huh?" he asked. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None," Sam replied. "I'll be fine, Dean."

"Henriksen?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yep."

"What was he doing all the way out here?" Amy asked.

"He wanted revenge," Sam replied, "'cause we got him killed."

Dean sighed. "Sam."

"Well, we did, Dean," Sam snapped, groaning in pain.

"All right. Stop right there," Dean instructed. "Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay?" He tossed his phone to the side. "I can't get ahold of Bobby, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all."

* * *

**September 23rd, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Dean pulled the Impala up to Bobby's house early the next morning. The hunters ran into the house, guns ready.

"Bobby?" Dean yelled as they ran through the house. They ran into the study to find an iron poker on the ground.

Dean pointed up the stairs. "I'll go. You two check outside."

"Come on," Sam said as he led Amy outside.

Sam and Amy made their way out to the junkyard and began making their way through the piles of dead, rusting cars.

"Bobby?" Amy called out.

"Bobby?" Sam repeated.

Sam and Amy kept making their way their way through the junkyard, until Sam stopped Amy in her tracks and pointed at a reflection in a mirror. Amy looked, spotting movement in a car at the top of a large pile.

"You go," Amy instructed. "I'll keep watch down here."

Sam nodded and began scaling the mountain of cars towards Bobby. "Bobby! Hold on, Bobby!" he shouted as he climbed. "I'm coming! Bobby!"

Amy watched as Sam used a crowbar to open the backdoors to the truck. A moment later, he was thrown backwards.

"Sam!" Without thinking, Amy reached her hands up. Sam slowed down, landing gently on the car below him.

"Huh," Amy said to herself, looking at her hands, "cool." She quickly got back into focus as she rushed towards Sam, who was using a crowbar to fight off a ghost girl. She reached Sam just as he swung the iron bar through the ghost, causing her to disappear. A creak from above her brought her attention to the car Sam had climbed up towards, to see Bobby on his knees by the door, panting as he looked down at Sam.

"How'd you do that earlier?" Sam asked while they waited for Bobby to climb down from the top of the pile of cars.

Amy shrugged. "I didn't even know I could do that. I saw you get thrown from the top of that pile, and I panicked. Did the first thing I could think of."

"And earlier, when you heard Dean say something even though he hadn't. Do you think you're powers are expanding?"

"I don't know what hearing things has to do with that." Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "But maybe."

"What if you did hear Dean say something," Sam suggested. "But what if he didn't say it out loud."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, your powers involve your mind right?" Sam asked. "You think about something moving and it does."

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm pretty sure telekinesis isn't the only power that begins with 'tele'."

Amy looked up at Sam in confusion. "What, like telepathy?" she asked. "You think I read Dean's mind?"

"We don't know for sure," Sam replied. "But it is a possibility. Especially if your powers are growing stronger."

"You girls done gossiping over there?" Bobby asked as he walked over to them. "'Cause we gotta figure out what the hell's going on."

"Uh, yeah, coming, Bobby," Sam said before he and Amy followed the old hunter into the house.

"Bobby what the hell is going on around here?" Dean asked as they entered the house. "I just fought Meg's ghost upstairs.

"Wait, first Henriksen, then Meg," Sam listed off. "Bobby I'm assuming you knew those girls. They're all people we know?"

"Not just know," Dean corrected. "People we couldn't save." He got a pondering look on his face. "Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?"

Sam furrowed his brows. "I don't think so."

"It was like a-a mark on her hand," Dean recalled. "Almost like a brand."

"I saw a mark, too," Sam remembered, "on Henriksen."

"What did it look like?" Bobby asked.

"Uh, paper?" Sam asked. Dean handed him a piece of paper and pencil. "Thanks."

Amy watched Sam quickly scribbled a symbol on the paper, before showing it to Dean.

"That's it," Dean confirmed. Sam showed the paper to Bobby.

"I may have seen this before," Bobby said worriedly. "We got to move."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Follow me," Bobby instructed.

"Okay," Sam said, unsure, "Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe, you idiot," Bobby snapped. He picked up a pile of books before leading Sam, Dean, and Amy into the basement. He led them into a room with walls lined in iron. Looking around, Amy saw pentagrams and Devil's traps lining the walls as well.

Sam gasped in amazement. "Bobby, is this..."

"Solid iron," Bobby replied. "Completely coated in salt. One-hundred-percent ghost-proof."

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked.

Bobby shrugged. "I had a weekend off."

"Cool," Amy said in amazement.

"Bobby," Dean said, looking around the room.

"What?"

Dean turned to face Bobby, a grin on his face. "You're awesome."

Bobby dropped the books on a nearby table. "You three start making salt rounds. I'm gonna figure out where I've seen that symbol."

* * *

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, though it was probably only a few minutes.

"See, this is why I can't get behind God," Dean said, breaking the long silence.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

Dean put the salt round he was working on down. "If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason - just random, horrible, evil - I get it, okay. I can roll with that." He paused for a moment. "But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

Amy sighed as she fiddled with the salt round in her hand. Neither Bobby nor Sam said anything in response.

"I ain't touching this one with at 10-foot pole," Bobby finally said.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Bobby stood up from his chair. "Found it," he announced.

"What'd you find?" Amy asked.

"The symbol you saw - the brand on the ghosts..." Bobby began.

Sam nodded. "Yeah?"

"Mark of the Witness," Bobby revealed, turning the book he had been reading around so they could see the page.

"Witness?" Sam asked. "Witness to what?"

"The unnatural." Bobby set the book down as he paraphrased his findings. "None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts - they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... on purpose."

Sam exchanged a glance with Dean. "Who?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I know?" he snapped. "But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called "the rising of the witnesses." It figures into an ancient prophecy."

Dean leaned forward. "Wait, wait. What - what book is that prophecy from?"

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know," Bobby replied. "But long story short - Revelations. This is a sign, you three."

"A sign of what?" Sam and Dean asked simultaneously.

"The apocalypse."

The room fell silent as everyone struggled to comprehend what they had just heard.

"Apocalypse?" Dean repeated. "The apocalypse, apocalypse?" He looked between Amy and Sam, neither of who knew what to say. "The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one," Bobby confirmed. "The rise of the witnesses is a - a mile marker."

Sam took a deep breath. "Okay, so, what do we do now?"

"Road trip." Dean shrugged. "Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience." He clapped his hands together. "Bunny Ranch," he added humorously. Sam rolled his eyes.

"First things first," Bobby warned. "How about we survive our friends out there?"

"Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?" Dean asked.

"There would be a spell right?" Amy asked.

Bobby nodded. "Right," he confirmed, "to send the witnesses back to rest." He pointed to the page he had been reading. "There's one right here. Should work."

"Should," Sam repeated with uncertainty. "Great."

Bobby ignored him. "If I translated it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" Dean asked nervously.

Bobby scoffed. "So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden? Spell's got to be cast over an open fire."

"The fireplace in the library," Sam realized.

"Bingo," Bobby confirmed.

"Can we light a fire in here?" Amy asked, looking around the room. "You don't need those books right? I'm sure they'd make great kindling."

"Ingredients are upstairs," Bobby replied.

"That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?" Dean asked.

Bobby closed the book while Sam, Dean, and Amy grabbed their guns, loading them with salt rounds.

"Cover each other," Bobby instructed as they stood by the door. "And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you. Ready?"

Everyone nodded and Bobby opened the door. They cautiously made their way out, checking every angle for ghosts. When they reached the stairs, they found a man with curly hair sitting at the top of them.

"Hey, Dean," the ghost greeted. "You remember me?"

"Ronald, huh?" Dean remembered. "With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."

Ronald stood up. "I am dead because of you," he shouted angrily. "You were supposed to help me!"

Ronald was interrupted as Bobby fired a salt round into his chest.

Dean stared at Bobby in shock, who scoffed. "If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

They quickly ran up the stairs to the study. Amy stood guard while Dean made a fire and Sam made a salt circle around Bobby's desk.

Bobby pointed at Sam. "Upstairs, linen closet - red hex box," he instructed. "It'll be heavy."

"Got it," Sam said, running upstairs.

"What can I do?" Amy asked.

Before Bobby could answer, two ghost girls appeared in the room. Amy quickly fired a salt round at them.

"That," Bobby replied. "Make sure I can finish this spell." He looked up at Dean and pointed to the kitchen. "Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

Dean ran towards the kitchen but stopped in his tracks and turned back to Bobby.

"Opium?"

"Go!" Bobby shouted.

Dean ran into the kitchen and the girls reappeared. Amy shot them with another salt round.

As Amy's eyes darted around the room, watching more ghosts, the door to the kitchen slammed shut.

"Dean!" Bobby shouted.

"I'm all right, Bobby!" Dean shouted through the door. "Keep working!"

Amy shot the girls as the reappeared back in the room, much closer to Bobby's desk than last time.

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked as he ran back down the stairs, carrying the box Bobby had sent him to get. Amy pointed to the closed kitchen doors and Sam took off running towards them. He threw himself against the door, until they finally opened.

A few moments later, Sam and Dean reemerged from the kitchen. Sam handed the ingredients for the spell to Bobby.

* * *

With Sam, Dean, and Amy protecting Bobby, the old hunter continued to work on the spell. Ghosts of the two little girls, Meg, Ronald, and Henriksen appeared one by one, only to get filled with rock salt by a hunter.

As Dean reloaded his gun, Ronald reappeared, approaching Dean.

"Ronald," Dean said desperately. "Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals."

"That's when I was breathing," Ronald snarled. "Now I'm gonna eat you alive."

"Well...come on, I'm not a cheeseburger." Dean finished reloading and aimed his gun, only to find Ronald gone.

Bobby began to chant in latin and the windows sprung open, blowing strong gusts of wind into the room, which moved the salt away. Meg appeared only to be shot by Sam. As Bobby continued to chant, Amy shot Ronald once he reappeared. Henriksen appeared in front of Dean, who aimed his gun, only to have it knocked out of his hands. Dean quickly grabbed another gun and fired, only to find it empty. Amy quickly picked up an iron rod, swinging it through Henriksen's head. Meg appeared and shoved a desk towards Sam, pinning him to the wall. The two little girls also appeared, using the force to pin Amy against the wall as well.

"Sam!" Dean yelled out. "Amy!"

"We're fine!" Amy promised.

"Cover Bobby!" Sam shouted.

Bobby continued chanting the spell as Sam struggled to push the desk away from him. The two ghost girls sat on the desk as Meg approached Bobby from behind. Amy looked around, spotting an iron rod on the ground. Thinking quickly, she used her powers to pick it up, moving it through Meg first, then the ghost girls.

As soon as the ghosts were gone, Amy fell to the floor, catching the iron rod in her hands as she landed. Sam pushed the desk away as Bobby finished the spell and tossed the ingredients into the fire. The flames turned blue and the ghosts disappeared.

Sam panted heavily. "Everyone okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Amy replied.

"Same here," Dean agreed.

Bobby turned away from the fire. "Glad you three are okay," he said, "'cause we gotta clean this all up."

"Seriously?" Amy asked, looking around at the shards of broken glass, papers, and empty salt rounds around the room.

"Yep," Bobby confirmed. "Grab a broom."

Amy groaned, reluctantly grabbing a broom as she began to sweep up the broken glass.

Later that night, they finished cleaning up the room. A tired Amy yawned, heading upstairs to turn in for the night.

* * *

**September 24th, 2008**

Amy awoke the next morning and headed downstairs, only to find Sam and Dean talking about something in the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted with a yawn.

Sam and Dean didn't reply, but began whispering to each other, casting an occasional glance at Amy.

"What's going on?" Amy asked.

"You think it'll work?" Dean asked Sam.

"Think what'll work," Amy asked, growing more confused as she approached the brothers.

Dean didn't reply, but merely stared at her, making Amy feel extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "And why?"

"Hmm," Dean said, relaxing as he turned back to his brother. "Maybe you were wrong."

"Okay, would someone please tell me what's going on?" Amy demanded. "This is getting ridiculous!"

Dean jabbed a finger at his brother. "Sammy here's convinced you can read minds now or something."

Amy groaned. "God, I hope not." She walked past Dean and grabbed a box of cereal, pouring herself a bowl.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Why don't I want to know what people are thinking?" Amy repeated. "Would you want me to be able to hear what you were thinking?"

"Uh, no, I suppose not," Sam admitted. "But say this is true, though. That would mean that your powers are getting stronger, right?"

"I suppose so," Amy said, sitting down at the table. "But I'm sure whatever happened at Olivia's house, I'm sure it was just a coincidence. A weird, freaky coincidence. But a coincidence nonetheless."

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "I'm sure you're right."

"Now if you boys will excuse me," Amy said as she picked up her spoon. "I'm hungry."

Sam and Dean left her alone as Amy ate her breakfast. As she ate, the same thought kept coming back to her. What if Sam and Dean were right? Back at Olivia's house, she had heard Dean ask her a question clear as day, but he had insisted he hadn't said anything. Nothing else like that had happened that day or the day after, but Amy couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to what the Winchester's were suggesting. What if her powers were getting stronger? What if, one day, she'd be able to do more than just move things by thinking about it?


	14. In the Beginning

**September 25th, 2008 - Willow Tree Motel**

Amy stirred in her sleep as she heard movement from the other bed. Giving up, she opened her eyes, rolling over to see Dean tossing and turning in bed. She couldn't help but notice that Sam was nowhere around. Amy sat up as she spotted Cas sitting at the edge of Dean's bed.

"Cas?" Amy asked sleepily.

The angel ignored her.

Dean sat up a start, breathing heavily as he woke from a nightmare he had clearly been having. He looked up, jumping at the sight of Cas.

"Hello, Dean," Cas greeted. "What were you dreaming about?"

Dean groaned in annoyance. "What, do you get your freak on by watching other people sleep?" He sighed, putting his feet on the floor. "What do you want?"

"Listen to me," Cas said. "You have to stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean asked.

Instead of responding, Cas put two fingers on Dean's forehead, and the Winchester vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Amy asked, now fully awake.

"You need to go as well," Cas told her as he approached her bed.

"Go? Go where?"

Once again, instead of answering, Castiel put two fingers on her forehead, and Amy's vision went black.

* * *

**October 12th, 1988 - Lawrence, Kansas**

"Hey, kid. Come on wake up," a voice said. "You can't sleep here."

Amy slowly opened her eyes. "Huh? Where am I?"

"Somewhere you shouldn't be," the police officer told her before walking off.

"No, I mean-" Amy began, only to stop when she saw that the officer was too far away to hear her.

Amy sat up on the bench, looking around in confusion. She was outside, in the middle of the day, but hadn't it just been the middle of the night?

'Oh _, right_ ,' she thought, rubbing her head, ' _time travel_.' She sighed as she stood up and pulled out her phone, pushing the button on top to light up the screen. The first thing she noticed was that she had no service. The second thing she noticed was that Dean was nowhere in sight. She pocketed her phone and pulled out her wallet.

' _I guess Cas sent us to different time periods_. _At least he sent me here with my wallet._ ' Amy looked inside the wallet, counting fifty dollars.

Finally deciding to get up, Amy walked into the diner behind her. She made her way inside, ignoring the stares she got as she sat down at a bar stool next to a couple. She spotted a newspaper nearby on the counter and pulled it closer, reading the date.

"October 12th, 1988," Amy read to herself as she glanced at the headline, which read 'Bonita Granville dies at age 65'. She turned to the couple next to her. "Excuse me?"

The woman looked over at her. "Yes?"

"Could you tell me where I am?" At the woman's questioning look, she added. "Sorry, I'm just a little out of it today, I guess."

"Lawrence, Kansas," the man replied. He extended his hand. "Henry Jones." He pointed to a pregnant woman next to him. "This is my wife, Jessica."

Amy's voice caught in her throat as she stared in shock at the curly-haired man in front of her.

"Amy," she finally said as she shook the man's hand.

"Do we know each other?" Henry asked.

"Oh, uh, no." Amy shook her head. "Sorry, you just look familiar."

"So, what brings you to town, Amy?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, just passing through," Amy replied. "I'm actually heading to, uh, Lebanon." She flagged down a man behind the counter. "Can I get a hot chocolate to go?" she ordered.

"What a coincidence," Henry said with a laugh. "My wife and I are heading to Lebanon as well to visit her family. Maybe we'll run into each other there."

Amy smiled. "Yeah, maybe we will."

"Hopefully we see you again soon," Jessica said as they left the diner. "Bye, Amy."

Amy's hot chocolate was brought over and she stood up, walking out the doors with her drink. It wasn't until she had gotten outside, that reality finally set in.

' _Holy crap_ ,' she thought, ' _I just met my mom and dad_.'

* * *

Amy walked down the sidewalk alone, trying to process what had just happened. Maybe she could actually go to Lebanon after all. Get to know them a bit more. She turned a corner, nearly colliding with Castiel.

"Cas?" Amy asked in shock, nearly dropping her drink. "What the hell? Why did you send me here?"

"You need to know."

"Way to be vague," Amy snapped. "I need to know what?"

A passing truck distracted Amy for a moment. When she turned back, Cas was gone.

Amy sighed as she tossed her empty cup into the trash. She needed a car to actually get to Lebanon in the first place, but where would she actually get one? She walked around, until finally spotting a silver Cadillac Seville sitting by itself in the parking lot. Looking around, she made her way over to the car. Mentally thanking the fact that Bobby had taught her how to hotwire, she started the vehicle up before getting in and pulling out of the lot.

Amy drove down the highway, towards Lebanon Kansas. As she drove, she listened to the radio. Songs from Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and various other artists were playing as she scanned through the stations. She flipped to a different station, only to hear the song ' _Never Gonna Give You Up_ ' by Rick Astley playing.

"Oh hell, no," Amy muttered as she turned the radio off. "I am not getting rickrolled in 1988." She sighed as she continued driving in silence.

* * *

**Lebanon, Kansas**

A few hours later, around seven, she reached her destination. Pulling onto the side of the road, she began to contemplate her options. She had no idea if Henry and Jessica were in Lebanon yet, or even where they would be. So, she could either A, drive around until she found them but risk looking like a stalker or B, check into a motel somewhere and just hope that, by coincidence, she happened to run into them somewhere. She decided her best option was to check into a motel somewhere. But first, she wanted to get something to eat. She found a small pizzeria down the road and got out of the car, grabbing her wallet as she did.

Amy entered the small restaurant, sitting down at a vacant booth. Soon after, a waiter came over. After ordering a coke and a small cheese pizza, the waiter left again, leaving Amy with her thoughts. As she waited for her food, she stared out the window. This was the first time she had been in another city and state without Sam, Dean, or Bobby with her. What the hell was she supposed to do out on her own like this?

' _Okay, focus, Amy_ ,' she thought, ' _it's not like you haven't done this before. Only difference now is Sam, Dean, or Bobby aren't here. You're capable of checking into a motel room by yourself, you can drive, you know how to hunt if needed. You got this. Check into a room for the night and worry about finding Henry and Jessica tomorrow_.'

"Amy?" A voice called out from the entrance. Amy looked up to see Henry and Jessica walking towards her.

' _Or let them come to you_ ,' Amy thought as she waved at them. "I didn't expect to see you here," she said as they sat down across from her.

"Small world, I guess," Henry said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so," Amy agreed as the waiter from earlier brought her a can of coke.

"Can I get you guys anything?" The waiter asked, looking at Henry and Jessica.

"No thank you."

The waiter left again and Henry turned to Amy. "Alright, Amy, my wife and I need a fresh opinion on something."

Amy leaned forward. "What's up?"

"We seem to be in a little bit of a disagreement over whether we're having a boy or a girl."

"I think it's a girl," Jessica told her.

"Whereas I say it's a boy," Henry added. "So, what do you think? We'll call you our tie-breaker. Boy or girl?"

"I say girl," Amy replied with a knowing smile.

Henry groaned in defeat as Jessica leaned across the table and high-fived Amy.

"Come on, you can't help me out just a little bit?" Henry asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nope. In fact, I'm pretty adamant that it's a girl."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Just a hunch," Amy replied.

The waiter brought over Amy's pizza and she took a slice, setting it on a plate. "I'm not gonna eat this whole thing, so if you guys want a slice, feel free to take one," she offered.

"So, now that you're where you were telling us you'd be," Jessica spoke as she took a slice of pizza, "What brings you to Lebanon?"

"I'm looking for someone," Amy replied, thinking up something on the spot.

"Oh yeah?" Henry asked. "Who?"

Amy shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. But I think I'll know once I find them."

"Are you here by yourself?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah." Amy nodded. "I was gonna check into a motel room for the night. Figure out where to go from there."

"Oh no, don't do that. There's a spare room at my parents' place. You can stay there for the night if you want."

"Jessica!" Henry cried out in protest.

"Yeah, I agree with Henry," Amy agreed, "Jessica!"

"Dear, you can't just invite people you don't know to stay at your house."

Jessica switched seats, coming over to sit down next to Amy, who scooted over to let her in. "She's just a kid, Henry," she protested. "I'm not letting her stay in a dingy motel room by herself."

"You don't even know me, though," Amy protested back.

"I feel like I do, though," Jessica admitted. "I can't put my finger on it, but something about you seems extremely familiar."

"You know, now that you mention it," Henry said, "You guys actually look almost identical."

"Really?" Amy asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah," Henry confirmed, "Even now you're both making the exact same confused expression. You two aren't related are you."

' _Yes_ ,' Amy thought. "I don't think so, she said.

"Well," Jessica spoke up, interrupting her husband's thoughts, "We were just about to take off. Last chance to take up our offer."

"I-are you sure?" Amy asked. "I mean, I just met you guys."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Jessica insisted, "We insist. As an upcoming mom, I refuse to let you stay in a dingy motel room by yourself?"

"Well," Amy thought for a moment, "I suppose so. Only if you guys are absolutely sure, though."

Henry nodded. "I suppose I'm okay with it."

"Great!" Jessica exclaimed. "Is your car outside?"

"Yeah," Amy pointed out the window, "It's that silver Seville out there."

"Why don't you follow us in your car?" Henry suggested. "It's not far from here."

Amy nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

A few minutes later, the waiter brought over the bill. Amy pulled out ten dollars, setting it on the table before standing up. "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

"Perfect!" Henry beamed. "Let's get going."

Henry, Jessica, and Amy made their way outside.

"Our car is the little black one over there," Henry informed her, pointing out their vehicle. "The house is just a few miles from here."

"Okay," Amy said with a nod as she made her way to her car. She started it up once more and pulled out behind her parents' car.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they reached a white suburban house. Amy parked next to the sidewalk across the street, getting out to meet Henry and Jessica.

"Oh, I should probably warn you about my father," Jessica warned, "it takes him a while to warm up to new people."

"Should I be worried?" Amy asked.

"No, not at all," Jessica assured her, "just giving you a heads up. He can get pretty grumpy at times."

Amy followed her parents to the front door, where Henry rang the doorbell.

A moment later, an old woman opened the door. "Jessie!" she greeted, pulling the pregnant woman into a hug. After a beat, they released and the old woman stepped back. "Who's this?" she asked, noticing Amy.

"I'm Amy," Amy introduced.

"Amy, this is my mother, April," Jessica said, introducing Amy to her grandmother.

Amy smiled as she looked at her grandmother for the first time. Once again, her voice caught in her throat. She wanted to run up and give her grandmother a hug. She wanted, more than anything, to be able to tell them right then and there who she was. But all Amy could do was stare in shock and amazement.

"She's passing through but needed a place to stay for the night," Henry explained. "Jessica here refused to let her stay in a motel room by herself."

"You're here alone?" the old woman repeated, addressing Amy.

Amy nodded.

"Well, I suppose one night couldn't hurt," the woman decided, "it's my husband you'll have to convince, though." She took a good, long look at the three of them. "Well, come on in, guys," April finally said, stepping to the side. "It's cold out there."

Everyone walked into the house and April closed the door behind them. As soon as she stepped inside, Amy felt a cozy feeling wash over her. The house was small, but definitely the perfect size for a couple living on their own. There was a small living room directly ahead of her and a tiny kitchen to the left. Sitting on a white couch, was a thin, balding man, fast asleep.

' _And, that must be my grandfather,_ ' Amy thought, as she saw the man. She didn't know what to think when she saw him. The man had a stern but calm type of look on his face. It was a look that made Amy feel both nervous, but also welcome at the same time.

"James," April called out, "Henry, Jessica, and a friend of theirs are here."

"Huh?" James asked, waking with a start. "Oh, Jess, how are you?" he asked, grabbing a cane from next to the couch and pushing himself up.

"Oh, dad, you don't have to get up," Jessica told her father as she led Henry and Amy over. She leaned down, giving him a hug. When she straightened back up again, she gestured to Amy. "This is Amy. I hope it's okay but she needs a place to stay for the night and I didn't want her staying in a motel by herself."

James huffed. "You know how I feel about you bringing strangers into my house, Jessica."

"I know dad, but she's nice, I swear."

"I'll be out of here by tomorrow," Amy promised, although she wasn't sure if she believed it herself.

James huffed again. "Don't break anything," he warned.

"I won't," Amy promised.

James sighed. "As long as April's okay with it, I suppose I am too." He pointed up a flight of stairs. "Spare rooms are upstairs to the right. Bathroom's up there too."

"Thank you, sir." Amy gave the old man a small smile.

"I'll show you to the rooms," Jessica offered. Amy nodded and followed her upstairs.

Jessica opened the door to one of the spare bedrooms. "This should work for you for the night. Henry and I will be in the room next door."

"Jessica? Can I ask you something?" Amy asked.

Jessica nodded.

"Why are you being so nice and so trusting towards me? I haven't even known you for a day."

"I feel like I know you," Jessica repeated from earlier. "Something about you makes me want to trust you. I know I probably shouldn't but you just have this innocent look about you that tells me I should."

Amy smiled slightly at that.

"I'll leave you to get settled," Jess told her. "Come on downstairs when you're done. My mother makes the best lemon meringue pie when guests come over."

"Mmm! That's my favorite," Amy said, closing her eyes at the thought of the taste.

"Mine too!" Jess exclaimed. With that, she left the room, leaving Amy alone.

Amy looked around the room. There was a small, twin-sized bed pushed against the wall, with blue sheets set up on it. Across from the bed was a small fireplace in the wall and next to that was a brown wicker chair. Spotting some picture frames on the mantle above the fireplace, Amy made her way over to get a better look at them.

Resting on the mantle were six picture frames. Amy picked one up to examine it. The picture was of a red-headed little girl, wearing a purple dress and a pair of blue sunglasses shaped like hearts. Amy smiled slightly as she put the picture down and picked up another. This one was of the same girl from the last picture and a brown-haired girl, hugging each other as they grinned ear to ear.

As Amy looked at the pictures one by one, she found a familiar tune coming back to her mind. A song she had stuck in her head a lot as a child. She had never known where she had heard it and Google had never been any help either, but it was a song that somehow made her feel at home.

"You'll never know how I wanted just to comfort you," Amy began to sing quietly to herself. "You'll never know how I hurt inside the way you do. It was so hard to watch you suffer in that way. I felt so helpless, so I'm begging you please let me stay. Want you to know how I'll try to ease the pain for you. Need you to understand that I'll be around when you feel blue. It will be easy, for help is never far away. I'll wipe away your tears. Show you beauty in each passing day."

"Where did you hear that?" a voice asked from behind her. Amy turned around to see Jessica standing in the doorway.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Amy admitted. "But I used to get it stuck in my head all the time growing up. Something about it seems familiar but I never knew where I first heard it. It would just get stuck in my head from time to time."

Jessica stepped into the room. "That's a song someone wrote for my mother when she was younger," she said. "She used to sing it to me all the time when I was a kid."

' _Crap_.'

"Oh, really?" Amy asked. ' _Please don't be suspicious, please don't be suspicious, please don't_ -'

"Who are you?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm nobody."

Without warning, Jessica grabbed her arm. "Who. Are. You?" she asked, each word harsher than the last.

"Okay, okay!" Amy exclaimed. "I'll tell you."

Jessica released her arm and Amy sighed, walking over to sit on the bed.

"Well?" Jessica asked.

"You're never going to believe me," Amy started.

"Try me," Jessica said, crossing her arms.

Amy took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, first off, I'm a hunter, like you."

"How did you-?"

Amy interrupted by pointing at the charm bracelet, decorated with protection symbols, around Jessica's wrist. "I noticed it at the restaurant earlier."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I didn't know if Henry knew," Amy replied. "And I know this type of job isn't exactly something you go around telling people about."

Jessica nodded. "Okay. That still doesn't explain how you knew that song?"

"This is where the "you're never going to believe me" bit comes in," Amy began.

"The two of us apparently both have a career hunting monsters," Jessica reminded her. "Try me."

Amy took a deep breath. "Okay." She fiddled with her thumbs, trying to come up with the words. "Since you're a hunter of the supernatural, do you believe in things like angels and demons?"

Jessica nodded. "I suppose so."

"Well...I'm not exactly from around here," Amy continued. "An angel named Castiel sent me back... from the future."

"I don't believe you," Jessica decided.

"I told you, you wouldn't." Amy stood back up. "But it's true. I'm from the year 2008."

"Prove it," Jessica demanded. "Tell me something that will happen tomorrow."

Amy racked her brain, trying to think of something she could tell Jessica, when she suddenly remembered that she didn't have to. "I don't have to," she said as she pulled out her phone. It was an iphone, manufactured in 2007.

"What is that?" Jessica asked, looking at the device.

"It's a cell-phone," Amy told her. "It was built in 2007."

Jessica held out a hand. "Can I-"

"I don't see why not?" Amy shrugged, handing the phone over. When Jessica had a hold of the phone, she pushed the top button, making the screen light up.

"What the?!" Jessica exclaimed, nearly dropping the device.

"Sorry," Amy said. "It's a smartphone. You can call people, send mail, browse the internet, and play games all from this device," she explained.

"That is-" Jessica gasped in astonishment as she handed the phone back. "You really are from the future."

Amy nodded. "Only problem is, I have no idea why I'm in 1988."

"Well, what did this Castiel guy say when he sent you here?"

"Cas is pretty vague in his answers." Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "The only thing he said was "you need to know," whatever that means."

"Maybe there's some information you need to find out?" Jessica suggested.

Amy shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know what that could be, though."

"Like you said earlier, in the diner, I'm sure you'll know when you find it."

"You're probably right." The smell of lemon meringue pie drifted in through the open door.

"Mmm! Lemon meringue!" Amy and Jessica exclaimed at the same time. Casting a look at eachother, they broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Come on, let's go grab a slice," Jessica said as she walked out of the room, Amy following behind.

After grabbing a slice of pie, Amy sat down in the living room with everyone else.

"So, Amy, tell us," April said, sitting down next to James, "where are you from?"

"I live in Sioux Falls at the moment with my uncle," Amy replied, "but I grew up in LA."

"Where are your parents?" April asked.

"Oh, uh," Amy cast a glance at Henry and Jessica. "I never knew them," she admitted. "They died when I was a baby."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Jessica exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Amy.

"I mean, it's okay, really. I've learned to accept it," Amy assured her mother. "Besides, I ended up getting a family that really cares about me a couple years ago, so I'd say everything worked out pretty well."

"Your uncle," James spoke up, "how come you just moved in with him?"

"Well, technically speaking, he's not really my uncle, I just call him that sometimes," Amy explained. "But a couple years ago, Bobby kinda took me in, let me live with him. It's not much, but it's home."

"Do you like it there?" Henry asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey, Henry, could I talk to you for a moment?" Jessica asked, standing up.

Henry followed his wife out of the room and Amy ate her pie in silence. She could hear them talking in the other room, casting an occasional glance at her. After a few minutes, they came back in.

"Hey, uh, Amy," Henry said, "Jess and I wanted to ask you something really quick in the other room."

"Sure!" Amy stood up, taking her pie with her. She followed Jess and Henry back into the other room. "What's going on?"

"Jess here says you're from the future," Henry told her. "Is that true?"

Amy cast Jess a glance before answering. "Yeah, it is."

"But there's something else, isn't there?" Jessica said. "Something you're not telling us. I can see it in your eyes whenever you look at us."

Amy stayed silent, bringing her eyes to the floor.

"There is, isn't there?" Henry asked.

Amy nodded. She couldn't bring herself to lie to Jessica and Henry. Sure, they didn't raise her, but they did bring her into the world.

"Do you-do you remember back at the restaurant when I said I was adamant that your baby would be a girl?" she asked.

Henry and Jess nodded.

"Well, the truth is, I'm 100% certain that she's going to be a girl."

"How could you possibly know that?" Henry questioned.

Amy took a deep breath, trying to figure out exactly how she was going to word what she was about to say. "The same way I know that she'll have wavy, brown hair and brown eyes. The same way I know that she'll grow up loving to swim in the summer and read in the library where she grows up all the other times."

Tears began to well up in Amy's eyes. "The same way I know that she has this voice of a woman that's not her singing a song that she knows by heart now. A song that she sings to herself when she gets scared or lonely or sad. I know the same way I know that she'll spend so much time in a library growing up, surrounded by hundreds of books, that she'll be able to read and write by the time she's four. I know that when she's six, she'll walk into first grade reading a book meant for someone in a higher grade than she is, but she'll love every word of it."

"The same way that," Amy paused, rubbing her eyes, "the same way that I know that even though she never knew them, she misses her parents every day. And that she wishes she could have gotten a chance to know them, even if it meant having to go back in time."

At those words, Jessica gasped. "You mean?"

Amy nodded, sniffling as tears continued running down her face. "My name is Amelia Jones. I'm your daughter, from the future."

Jessica didn't say a word. Instead, she slowly approached, resting a hand on Amy's cheek as she studied her face. "Henry, remember earlier when you said we looked alike?"

"Yeah."

"I can see it now." Jessica smiled as she pulled Amy into a hug. Amy began to weep as she hugged her mother.

Jessica suddenly pulled away. "Oh my god. I just realized why you looked so familiar." She took off, out of the room, and up the stairs.

Henry slowly approached, eyeing Amy curiously. "Are you really-?"

Amy nodded and Jessica came back down, holding a picture frame.

"This is a picture of my grandmother as a kid," Jessica told Amy as she showed her the picture.

Amy took the picture, getting a good look at it. The woman in the picture looked almost identical to Amy, with the only difference being that the woman had bangs that hung down over her eyes and she wore glasses.

"She looks just like you," Jess said.

Amy handed back the picture and Jess set it on a table next to her. It was then that Amy's parents both pulled her into a group hug.

"Hi mom," Amy said through tears, "Hi dad."

"Wait," Henry suddenly said, pulling away, "We didn't get a chance to watch you grow up, did we?"

Amy shook her head. "You were both killed when I was a baby. I grew up in an orphanage."

"I'm so sorry, Amy," Jess whispered.

Amy gave a small smile. "Hey, at least I finally got to meet you guys, though."

"How did it happen?" Henry asked.

"Henry!" Jess exclaimed.

"No, it's okay," Amy assured her. "Does he, you know-?"

Jess seemed to understand what she was implying because she nodded. "Yeah, he knows what I do."

"You're a hunter, too?" Henry asked.

Amy nodded. "Bobby, Sam, and Dean, the guys I live with, are hunters. When they took me in a couple years ago, they taught me how to hunt as well."

"My daughter is hunting monsters," Henry said, almost in realization.

Amy nodded. "But, um, when I was a few months old, a demon came into the house and killed you both."

"But how did you get out?" Jess asked.

"I, uh, I ended up somewhere else, somewhere far away?"

"Where?" Henry asked.

Amy sighed. "Well, I've already told you I'm your daughter from the future. How much crazier can I get, right?" She chuckled a little before replying. "I ended up in an alternate universe, in the year 1998."

"Excuse me, what?" Henry asked.

"Yeah," Amy nodded. "An archangel I know showed me. Apparently, dad, the demon threw you backwards while you were holding me and you accidentally let go of me as you flew back. This...portal type thing opened up and I fell into it. I lived in that world for seventeen years before I woke up back here one day. It wasn't until that happened that I started to learn when and where I had actually come from."

"That is-"

"Incredible," Jess finished her husband's thought.

"That's not all, though," Amy continued. "There's something else you guys should know. Something happened when I fell through that portal."

"What happened?"

"I think it would be easier if I just showed you," Amy said. She focused on a nearby rocking chair, willing it to rock back and forth.

"What the hell?" Henry asked as he looked at his wife's pregnant belly.

"Yeah," Amy said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm not entirely, 100% sure, but I think I got these powers when I was a baby and, well you know."

"That is incredible," Jess repeated.

"I'm so sorry we weren't there to watch you grow up, Amelia," Henry told her.

Amy smiled. "I'm just glad I got to meet you guys. Just, do me a favor, okay?"

Jess and Henry nodded.

"Be careful."

Without answering, Jess and Henry pulled her into another hug.

* * *

**September 25th, 2008 - Willow Tree Motel**

Amy pulled away from the hug to find that she was now hugging a pillow. She looked around to find herself back in the motel with Sam and Dean. Back in 2008. She wiped tears from her eyes, but it was no use. The tears kept coming. She looked in the bed next to her to find it empty. Dean must have gone off to fetch Sam.

Knowing she was alone, Amy began to bawl her eyes out. She lay down on her side, crying into the pillow that she had found herself hugging only moments earlier.

"Gabe?" she whispered. "Where are you? I really need you right now."

A flutter of wings indicated the archangel's presence. As soon as he saw Amy, his face fell and he rushed over.

"Are you okay?" Gabe asked.

Amy started to nod, but quickly changed to shaking her head. "I just really need someone right now."

"What happened?"

"Cas," Amy told the archangel. "He sent Dean back in time and then decided to do the same to me."

"What?" Gabe asked.

Amy nodded. "Cas sent me back to 1988 alone." She looked the archangel in the face. "Gabe, I met my parents."

Without a word, Gabriel pulled Amy into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

"No," Amy cried.

"Where are Sam and Dean right now?" Gabe asked.

"Sam wasn't here before Cas sent us back, and Dean wasn't when I woke up back here. I think Dean went to go find Sam."

"I'll stay as long as I can," Gabe promised.

"Thank you," Amy whispered.

Gabe lay down on the bed next to hers, flipping on the TV. Amy watched for a minute, before standing up. Gabriel watched her as she made her way to the other bed. Without saying a word, Amy curled up on the bed, resting her head on the archangel's shoulder as she drifted off to sleep.


	15. Metamorphosis

**September 26th, 2008 - Willow Tree Motel**

Amy woke up alone a few hours later to the sound of the motel room door opening. Moonlight shone into the room as Sam entered with a solemn look on his face. He didn't say anything as he lay down in the vacant bed.

"What happened?" Amy dared to ask.

"Nothing," was the only reply she got as Sam turned her back to her.

Amy decided not to push the matter further as she closed her eyes once more.

* * *

Amy woke up again a few hours later as Dean angrily threw the door open. Sam, who had been sitting at the table by the door, reading, stood up as his brother stormed into the room. Dean didn't say a word as he grabbed his bag and began to pack his stuff.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

Dean didn't reply as he continued packing.

Sam watched Dean pack for a moment, confusion on his face. "What, are you, are you leaving?" he asked.

"You don't need me," Dean decided. "You and Ruby go fight demons." He looked at Amy. "Pack your stuff."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked meekly.

"Away," Dean replied. "Now pack."

Amy reluctantly grabbed her bag and began putting her belongings into it. Dean grabbed his bag and made his way to the door, only to be blocked by Sam.

"Hold on. Dean, come on, man," Sam said as Dean walked around him.

Without warning, Dean spun around and punched Sam in the face. The force of the punch spun Sam around so his back was to Dean.

"You satisfied?" Sam asked. In response, Dean threw another punch and tossed his bag to the floor.

Amy backed away, trying to get as far away from Sam and Dean as she could.

Sam chuckled as he touched his bleeding lip. "I guess not."

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone?" Dean shouted angrily. "How far from normal? From human?"

"I'm just exorcising demons," Sam tried to explain.

"With your mind!" Dean yelled. His voice got scarily calm. "What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to hell," Sam replied. "It only works with demons, and that's it."

Dean, not accepting the answer given to him, grabbed Sam's shirt and shoved him backwards. "What else can you do?!" he demanded.

"I told you!" Sam insisted as he pushed Dean's hand away.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that," Dean snapped. He glared at Amy. "Did you know about this?"

"No!" Amy answered honestly. "I must have forgotten about it but I swear I didn't know!"

Dean gave his brother another glare before turning around. "Amy, if you want to come, now's your chance."

Amy grabbed her bag without a word as Dean walked towards the door.

"Look, I should have said something," Sam said to his brother's back.

Dean stopped walking, but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I am," Sam continued. "But try to see the other side here."

Dean spun back around. "The other side?"

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people," Sam defended.

"Use the knife!" Dean argued.

"The knife kills the victim!" Sam shouted in protest. "What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby wants you to think?" Dean asked. "Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?"

Amy looked up at that.

Dean shook his head sadly. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far," Sam insisted.

Dean smiled at Sam. He kept that smile on his face as he walked over to the lamp on the table between the two beds and angrily knocked the lamp to the floor, the smile turning into a scowl. "It's already gone too far, Sam," he shouted. "If I didn't know you... I would wanna hunt you."

Sam didn't say anything as he nodded, looking down at the floor.

"And so would other hunters," Dean continued.

Sam looked up at those words. "You were gone. I was here," he said quietly. "I had to keep on fighting without you. And what I'm doing... It works."

"Well, tell me. If it's so terrific," Dean began, "then why'd you lie about it to me?"

Sam looked down, not replying.

"Why did an angel tell me to stop you?" Dean continued.

Sam looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will," Dean replied angrily. "See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?"

Sam turned his head to the floor as Dean stared at him, waiting for an answer. Amy looked between the brothers as silence filled the room. An eternity seemed to go by before the silence was broken by the sound of Sam's phone ringing on the table behind Amy, who jumped at the noise.

Sam walked past Amy to answer his phone. "Hello?" There was a pause while Sam pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to the speaker on the other end. "Hey, Travis. Yeah, hey." Another pause. "Uh. It's good to hear your voice, too, yeah. Um, look, it's not a really good time right now. It's-" Sam paused again. "Yeah, okay. Uh, well, just give me the details, and, uh.." Sam walked over to the bedside table as he wrote down some information. "Carthage, Missouri. Looking for Jack Montgomery." Sam put down the pen and ended the call. He waved his phone around as he looked over at Dean. "Got us a case."

"Seriously?" Dean asked. "After all that, you 'got us a case'?"

Sam shrugged. "Travis says we should check this guy out. I think we should take it."

Dean sighed at his brother. "Okay, fine. Pack your stuff. We'll head out as soon as everyone's ready."

"Okay, yeah," Sam said as he grabbed his bag.

* * *

Within five minutes, they were back in the Impala, on the road.

"Hey, so, uh, while you were...you know," Dean began once their trip to Carthage had started.

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"Uh, Cas, he showed up. Sent me back to 1973."

"He sent me back too," Amy spoke up. "To 1988."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, he sent me back to, as he said, stop it," Dean replied.

"Stop what?" Sam asked.

Dean paused for a moment before answering. "To stop mom from making the deal."

Sam stared in shock at his brother. "To what?"

Dean sighed. "Yeah, apparently, mom was a hunter before she married dad. Turns out we come from a whole family of hunters. Uh, long story short, Azazel killed dad and mom made a deal to bring him back."

"So, did you?" Sam asked.

"Did I what?"

"Stop her?" Sam clarified. "From making the deal."

"Of course not, man!" Dean practically shouted. "You think we would still have this life if I had actually been able to stop her? Besides, Cas said it was destiny or crap." He looked through the rearview mirror at Amy. "Why'd he send you back though?"

Amy shifted in her seat. "All he said was, I have to know." She shrugged. "Still don't know what he meant by that, but..."

"But what?" Sam asked.

A tear fell from Amy's eye as she thought about the previous night. "I met my parents."

Silence fell from the from the front seat as Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"You what?" Sam asked.

"I met my parents," Amy repeated sadly. "And my grandparents."

"Are you okay?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "I think so." She paused. "Actually, I don't know. My mom was pregnant with me when I met them. It felt so weird. And they were incredibly nice too. I was planning on staying in a motel or something for the night but my mom insisted on letting me stay in the guest room at my grandparents' place, which is how I ended up meeting them."

"Were both your parents hunters?"

"No," Amy replied. "Only my mom was, I think at least one of my grandparents was, but they never said anything so I'm not entirely sure though. My dad knew my mom was a hunter, though."

"Did you tell them who you were?" Sam asked.

"Not at first," Amy admitted. "My mom ended up figuring it out though, and then she told my dad. She caught me singing this song I had known since I was a little kid. I had no idea where I'd first heard it from but it turns out it was a song my mom used to sing to me when I was a baby. Someone wrote it for my grandmother and then my mom sang it for me as a lullaby. I didn't get to spend much time with them though because not long after that, I woke up back in the motel room. Dean was already gone by then."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Dean said. "You weren't there so I figured you were either with Sam or you had just stepped out for a bit."

Sam chuckled slightly. "I can't believe it. Both our moms were hunters."

"I wouldn't have believed mom was one either if I hadn't seen it myself," Dean said with a smile. "That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down."

"How'd she look? I mean... was she happy?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful." Dean glanced at Sam for a moment, before turning back to the road. "Dad, too. Until of course..." Dean trailed off.

Sam sighed.

"What?" Dean asked.

Sam looked out his window. "Nothing," he replied. After a moment, though, he turned back to Dean. "It's just our parents," he began, "and now we find out our grandparents too? Our whole family murdered and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Amy and Dean looked over at Sam in confusion. Amy pretty much knew exactly what Sam was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing.

"Sam," Dean finally said, "I never said anything about demon blood."

Sam looked away guiltily.

"You knew about that?" Dean asked, slightly angry.

"Yeah, for about a year," Sam replied, not looking at Dean.

"A whole year?" Dean asked.

"I should have told you," Sam said in defense. "I'm sorry."

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever," Dean snapped. "You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine." He turned back to the road, looking dead ahead.

"Dean."

Dean continued staring at the road, ignoring his brother.

Sam sighed. "Whatever."

"So, who's Travis?" Amy asked, trying to break the deafening silence.

"Old hunting buddy," Dean replied. "Used to work with our dad. We haven't seen him since Sam was in high school though." He nudged Sam. "Did he say what was so important about this guy?"

"Just that we needed to check this Jack Montgomery guy out," Sam replied. "Wanted us to tell him if we found anything weird."

"Anything weird?" Amy repeated. "What does that mean? Our kind of weird?"

Sam shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."

Amy shrugged. "Okay then," she said as she put her feet up on the seat next to her and leaned back against the window.

* * *

**Carthage, Missouri - Rainbow Trout Motel**

A couple hours later, they arrived in Carthage Missouri. They checked into Rainbow Trout motel and immediately got to work trying to find Jack Montgomery.

"Pretty sure I found him," Sam said after a few minutes of searching. "Database says there's only one person named Jack Montgomery. He doesn't live too far from here."

Dean nodded. "Alright. We'll go check him out tonight."

* * *

Later that night, they headed out to Jack Montgomery's house. Dean parked the Impala across the street from the address Sam had given him and pulled out a pair of binoculars, looking through them.

"What do you see?" Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. "Nothing I would call weird." He put the binoculars down. "Are you sure that's him?"

"Only Jack Montgomery in town," Sam replied.

"And we're looking for..." Dean trailed off, waiting for Sam to answer.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird," Sam repeated.

"Weird how?" Amy asked.

Dean put the binoculars down. "Yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

"I don't know, Dean. Travis seemed pretty sure," Sam said as he picked up his own pair of binoculars.

"Hey, you got an extra one of those?" Amy asked.

"No, sorry," Dean said, "but you can borrow mine when I'm done with them."

Sam and Dean watched through their binoculars for a few more minutes while Amy tried squinting to get a view herself, before giving up and deciding to wait for someone to hand theirs over to her.

A few short minutes later, Sam and Dean simultaneously lowered their binoculars. Both of them had the same disgusted look on their face.

Amy leaned forward. "What is it? Can I see?"

"I don't think you want to see this," Sam told her.

"Bitch please," Amy protested. "What could be worse than the dead bodies and gore I've already had my fair share of seeing since meeting you guys?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Sam said as he reluctantly handed over his binoculars.

Amy put the binoculars to her eyes and looked through the window to the house across the street. Inside the house was a man aggressively eating raw meat, shoving handfuls of it at a time into his mouth. Seeing enough, Amy also lowered the binoculars in disgust.

"Told you. I'd say that qualifies as weird," Sam said.

"Ya think?" Amy asked as she handed Sam his binoculars back.

"Alright, let's get out of here. We'll call Travis when we get back to the motel room."

* * *

When they got back to the motel room, Amy got herself ready for bed as Sam called Travis on his cell phone. She was too tired to do much else, so she climbed into bed and set her head on the pillow, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

**September 27th, 2008 - Rainbow Trout Motel**

The next morning, Amy was awoken by a pillow being thrown on her face.

"Get up," Dean told Amy as she groggily sat up. "We're going to the diner down the street for breakfast."

Amy yawned as she stretched her arms. "Okay. Just let me get dressed."

* * *

Five minutes later, Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the motel room and down the street to the nearby diner. She yawned as they sat down at a vacant booth, resting her chin on her hand as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Dean asked.

"Uh," Amy said as she thought for a moment. "I don't know, really. I had a hard time getting to sleep."

They ordered and ate their breakfast. Before long, they were back on their way to the motel room.

* * *

Amy followed behind as Sam and Dean led her back up to their room, nearly colliding with Sam as he stopped in the doorway.

"Travis," Amy heard Sam say.

"See, Sam. Told you we should have hid the beer," Dean said.

Amy peered around Sam to see a balding man with a cast on one arm get up from the table and walk over to them.

"Smartass," the man said with a laugh. "Get over here." He pulled Dean into a hug.

"Ahh, good to see you," the man said when they broke apart.

"You too," Dean replied.

The man looked over at Sam, pulling him into a hug as well. "Good to see you."

Sam smiled. "You too, Travis."

Travis and Sam broke apart, and Travis looked Sam up and down. "Man, you got tall, kid," he observed. "How long has it been?"

"Ah, gotta be 10 years," Sam said.

"You still a," Travis thought for a moment, "oh, what was it... a mathlete?"

Sam scoffed. "No."

"Yep, sure is," Dean said at the same time.

Amy let out a small laugh, alerting Travis to her presence.

"Whoa, who's the kid?" Travis asked.

Sam moved to the side so Amy could enter the room. "Travis, this is Amy," he said. "She's family."

Amy waved. "Hey there," she said.

"You a hunter?" Travis asked.

Amy nodded.

"Alright then." Travis turned and walked back into the room as the others followed him in. "Been too long, boys. I mean, look at you. Grown men. John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

Dean slapped Sam on the back. "Yeah. Yeah, we're as thick as thieves." He looked over at Sam, whose smile was fading. "Nothing more important than family."

"Sorry I'm late for the dance," Travis said as he sat back down on the table while Sam, Dean, and Amy sat on the bed across from him.

"Thanks for helping out an old man," Travis continued. He pointed to the cast on his arm. "I'm a little, uh, shorthanded."

That last sentence brought a laugh from the other hunters in the room.

"So, you track down Montgomery?" Travis asked.

Sam shifted a little on the bed. "Yeah, we found him at his home."

"And?"

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies," Dean recalled, "topped off with a burger he forgot to cook."

"That's him alright," Travis confirmed.

"What's him?" Dean asked.

"Boys, we got a rougarou on our hands," Travis announced.

"Oh, I've heard of those," Amy recalled.

"A rougarou?" Dean asked. He looked over at Sam. "Is that made up?" He looked back at Travis before Sam could answer. "That sounds made up."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers," Travis told them. "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy," Dean said. "I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt."

"If I remember correctly, rougarous start out human, right?" Amy asked.

Travis nodded. "For all intents and purposes. You ever hunt one before?"

Amy shook her head. "No, but I've heard enough about them."

"So, what?" Sam asked "They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

Travis nodded. "Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull-fly. But most of all they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Dean asked.

"At first, for everything, but then," Travis paused briefly, "for long pig."

"Long pig?" Dean asked.

"Human flesh," Sam and Amy replied simultaneously.

"And that is my word of the day," Dean said pointedly.

"Hunger grows in," Travis continued, "'til they can't fight it. Til they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

"They transform completely and fast," Travis replied. "One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean asked.

"Lets just say it runs in his family."

You mean, uh..." Sam trailed off.

Travis nodded. "Killed his daddy back in '78. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam asked, chuckling slightly.

Travis sighed. "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do." He finished by taking a swig of his beer.

"So how do we kill one of these things?" Dean asked.

"Fire," Amy replied, "like Wendigos."

"I've got supplies back at my place," Travis said, standing up. "I'll go ahead and bring them back so we can get everything set up. I'll be back in twenty minutes or so."

As soon as Travis left, Amy flung herself onto her back. "So, now what?"

"I guess now we just wait for Travis to get back," Sam replied. "I'll be back in a bit." Without another word, the youngest Winchester left the room.

Amy sighed out of boredom as she started slowly spinning a pen around in mid-air. "Cool."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Travis returned with a duffle bag. Amy watched as he laid out everything they would need.

"Flamethrowers?" Amy asked, picking up a propane tank.

"Yep." Dean nodded. "Propane tank plus pipe plus lighter equals one barbaqued Rougarou."

"Neat," Amy said, picking up what she needed to make her own flamethrower.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked as he picked up a few components.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards," Travis said, "deep-fry 'em."

"Well, that's gonna be..." Dean trailed off slightly, "horrible. Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

Travis nodded. "Uh-huh."

The door opened and Sam walked back into the room, papers in hand. "Not wasting any time, are you?" He asked as he closed the door and

"None to waste," Travis said with a shrug. "The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

Sam sat down at the table. "What if he doesn't hulk out?" At Travis's questioning look, he continued. "I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rougarous."

"What? My thirty years of experience not good enough for you?" Travis asked, a little offended.

"What? No. No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared," Sam said quickly. "I mean, not that you didn't."

"Sam loves research," Dean cut in. "He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." He looked over at Sam, who was glaring at him. "It is."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but uh," Sam began to flip through the papers he had brought in, "I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean asked, now interested.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform," Sam continued.

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?" Dean asked.

"Basically," Sam said with a nod. "Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

"Long pig," Dean and Amy said simultaneously.

"Right."

Dean smiled a little at that.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam," Travis said as he stood up. "But those are fairy tales." He walked over to the pantry and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of... took that bite."

"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will," Sam argued, standing up. Seeing this, Dean stood up as well.

"So what do we do?" Travis asked. "Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him," Sam suggested. "Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it."

"Fight it?" Travis gave a slight laugh. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah," Dean answered.

Travis nodded. "Yeah. Right then. So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?"

Dean looked thoughtful for a second before giving a look which Amy took as "no."

"That's what we are to him now, meat on legs." Travis shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

"I don't know," Sam said firmly. "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Silence filled the room as Sam took a few deep breaths before walking back out.

"What's up with your brother?" Travis asked.

"Don't get me started," Dean replied as he watched the door.

"Something up between you two," Travis asked.

"It's complicated," Dean replied, taking a swig of beer.

A moment later, the door reopened. "Amy, Dean, let's get going."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked.

"We're gonna go talk to Jack," Sam replied.

"Seriously?" Travis asked. "That's not gonna work."

"Maybe it won't, maybe it will," Sam said sternly. "But we won't know if we don't try."

Casting a quick glance at Dean, Amy clambered off the bed and followed the Winchester brothers out of the motel room.

* * *

They drove towards Jack's house in silence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, it was broken by Dean.

"All right, so we're gonna go have a little chat with this guy which, you know... I'm down." He looked over at Sam, who was staring straight out the front windshield. "But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."

Sam finally looked over at his brother. "Meaning?"

"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive."

"This guy has a name and a wife," Sam spat.

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay?" Dean acknowledged. "I mean, you heard Travis. He's gonna turn. They always turn."

"Well, maybe he won't. Maybe he can fight it off," Sam argued, his voice growing louder.

"And maybe he can't, that's all I'm saying," Dean argued back.

"All right," Sam huffed, "we'll just have to see then, okay?"

Dean cast a glance at his brother and scoffed. "This is what I mean, Sam. You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

'Don't say it Dean,' Amy thought. 'Don't say it.'

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside. Something in his blood." Dean looked over at Sam. "Maybe you can relate."

Sam's face started to grow red with anger. "Stop the car," he hissed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Stop the car or I will!" Sam shouted angrily.

Dean acknowledged, pulling the Impala onto the side of the road. Sam got out before the car had even stopped. Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Dean got out as well, walking around to the passenger side.

"You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean?" Sam asked as he slammed his door closed and turned to face his brother. "Because of crap like this."

Their voices were muffled slightly and Amy had to strain to make out much of what they were saying.

"Like what?" Dean asked.

"The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I'm a freak!" Sam yelled.

"I do not," Dean denied as Sam walked past him.

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" Sam snapped, spinning back around to face Dean again. He took a few steps forward, getting in Dean's face. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

Sam turned his back to Dean and took a few steps away. Finally stopping, he turned back to Dean, who had been watching him, not saying a word. When Sam turned to face him again, Dean averted his gaze downward.

"What?" Sam questioned.

Dean looked back up. "Do you know the difference, Sam?" he asked angrily, almost too quiet for Amy to hear. "I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately."

"You have no idea what I'm going through," Sam yelled. "None."

"Then enlighten me!" Dean snapped.

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean!" Sam shouted, throwing his hands up. "This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to." He dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Let's just go talk to the guy," Dean replied after a few seconds.

Sam scoffed.

"I mean Jack. Okay?" Dean added.

After a moment, Sam gave a small nod and the two of them got back into the car. Dean started the engine back up and they took off back down the road.

* * *

The rest of the drive was almost completely silent but it was obvious that Sam and Dean were still angry. Dean would brake harshly and Sam glared out the window the entire drive. Before too long, they arrived at the Montgomery residence.

Jack could be seen in the backyard, so Dean led Amy and Sam to the gate, opening it up to let them through. Jack was standing in front of a flower patch, holding a hose still as water flooded around his feet.

"Maybe you should take this," Dean told Amy.

"Me?" Amy asked. "Why?"

"Because you seem to know more about these things than we do," Sam replied. "Maybe you'll have better luck explaining all of this to Jack."

"Um, okay, I guess," Amy said with uncertainty.

The three hunters began to approach the man. "Jack Montgomery?"

Jack didn't reply and Sam continued.

"I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother; Dean. And this is Amy."

Jack finally seemed to acknowledge their existence as he turned to face them.

"We need to talk."

Jack looked at Sam, then at Dean, and finally to Amy. He turned back to Sam. "About?"

"About you. About how you're changing," Sam replied.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, a little offended.

Dean nudged Amy. "You're up, kiddo."

Amy sighed. "Okay. Jack, have you noticed lately that you're hungry. Like, really really hungry? Hungry for just about anything you can get your hands on. Even things like raw meat?"

"Who the hell are you guys?" Jack asked.

"We're people who know a little something about something," Dean answered.

"We're people who can help. Please, just hear us out," Sam pleaded.

"There are things out there," Amy began, "that aren't exactly human. Monsters, supernatural creatures. One of these things is something called a rougarou."

"A-a what?" Jack asked, flabbergasted.

"A rougarou," Dean repeated. "Sounds made-up, I know, but believe me, it's not."

"They start out looking human," Amy continued. "But then, somewhere along the line, they start to go through a sort of metamorphosis. You might have noticed your bones start to shift under your skin or your appetite reach some really high levels?"

"Alright, I've noticed certain things," Jack acknowledged. "I mean, some strange things. But I just, I-I don't know. I'm.. I'm sick or something."

"Your father was one of these things," Sam informed the man.

At this, Jack turned around to face Sam.

"Your real father," Sam continued. "He passed it on to you."

Jack shook his head. "No. Are-are you guys listening to yourselves? You s-sound like you're-"

"Crazy, yeah, we know," Amy interrupted.

"You're hungry, Jack," Dean replied. "You're only gonna get hungrier."

"Hungrier for?"

"Long pig," Dean said, smiling at his new knowledge of the word. "You know, a little man burger helper, may have crossed your mind already."

Jack shook his head. "No."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jack," Sam said. "You can fight it off."

"No," Jack repeated.

"Others have."

"We're not gonna lie to you, though," Dean added. "It's not gonna be easy. You're gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I'm telling you. You gotta say no... or-"

"Or what?" Jack asked, cutting Dean off.

"You feed once, and it's all over," Sam said. "And then we'll have to stop you."

"Stop me?" Jack repeated. "My dad, did uh, somebody stop him?"

"Yes," Sam admitted.

Jack began glaring daggers at the hunters. "Get off my property right now," he ordered, pointing at the gate. "I see you guys again, I'm calling the cops."

"Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they're in danger," Sam pleaded.

"Now!" Jack shouted.

Jack's neighbor, who had been cutting a bush, looked over at the sound of Jack's outburst. Sam waved meekly at him before leading Amy and Dean out of the backyard.

"Good talk," Dean muttered as they walked back to the car.

"I just wish I could have done more to help," Amy admitted sadly.

"No, no, you did everything you could have," Sam assured her.

"So, now what?" Amy asked.

"Now we wait," Dean replied. "Keep an eye on Jack, make sure he doesn't help himself to a little man burger."

* * *

Later that night, the three hunters were staked out in the Impala. They had been following Jack around all evening, finally catching up to him across the street from an apartment complex. They sat in the car, watching Jack as he sat on a bench across the street from them, listening to something on his phone.

Jack hung up his phone and put it into his pocket. He looked up at the apartment complex across the street, where a woman was standing near a window with open curtains. Jack stared at the woman for a moment, before sprinting across the street towards the building.

"Damn it. Jack. No," Sam hissed as Jack sprinted across the street.

Sam, Dean, and Amy all hopped out of the car, grabbing their flamethrowers.

"Come on," Dean said as he led them across the street.

The three hunters quickly ran into the apartment building after Jack. Sam led them up the stairs as them to the apartment Jack had run towards. Amy stood behind them as the Winchesters kicked the door down and ran inside.

Instead of Jack, they instead met the woman who was entering the living room just as the door was kicked down.

"Wait!" Dean yelled as the woman screamed and backed out of the room.

The woman slammed the door to her bedroom closed as Dean looked around, confused. "Whoa, uh, we're here to save you, I guess."

"I'm calling the police!" the woman yelled through the door.

"We should go," Sam said nervously.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

They quickly hurried out, closing the door on the way out.

* * *

"Well, that went well," Amy said as they made their way back to the car.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "But that begs the question," he opened the trunk of the Impala, "where's Jack?"

* * *

Dean drove them back to the motel, leading Sam and Amy up to the room.

"Hey Travis?" Sam called out as Dean opened the door.

The motel room was empty.

"Where'd he go?" Amy wondered aloud as she looked around the room.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sam said.

"Alright, everyone back in the car," Dean ordered.

Without another word, Sam and Amy followed Dean back to the Impala.

* * *

Dean sped down the street towards the Montgomery residence. He parked the Impala in front of the house, and everyone got out, flamethrowers in hand.

"I guess now we know where Travis is," Dean said, pointing to a car on the other side of the street.

"That stupid son of a bitch," Sam muttered as they began walking to the house.

The three hunters made their way up the porch steps. Dean slowly pushed the door open, leading Sam and Amy into the house. A chair was lying sideways on the floor in the living room.

"Oh god," Amy groaned as she looked down to see a huge pool of blood soaked up in the carpet.

A trail led from the pool of blood to behind the couch. Sharing a look, Sam, Dean, and Amy cautiously made their way to the back of the couch, following the trail. Behind the couch was a small piece of meat.

"Oh, God," Dean said in disgust. "Think that's Travis?"

Sam sighed. "What's left of him." He looked down, devastated. "Guess you were right about Jack."

Without any warning, Amy was suddenly pushed forward by Jack, who jumped him from behind.

"Amy!" Sam and Dean shouted as Jack and Amy slammed into the coffee table.

Amy groaned as she struggled to stay awake. Glass surrounded her around the floor and her head was pounding. She heard movement behind her and the clicking of a lighter, before a loud thud against the wall, then silence. Finally giving in, Amy collapsed, her vision going black.

* * *

"He didn't say."

That was the first thing Amy heard from Jack as she started to drift out of unconsciousness.

"I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves," Jack continued.

"Listen to me. You gotta believe me," Sam shouted. His voice sounded muffled, like he was in another room. Amy tried to move, but every part of her hurt too much to do so.

"Listen to us, Jack," Dean said, his voice also muffled.

"My brother and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?" Sam continued.

Amy shuddered slightly as Jack dipped a finger in a pool of blood near her head.

"Oh, God. I'm so hungry," Jack moaned.

"Jack, don't do this," Sam pleaded.

"I can't ever see my family again," Jack said. "You three... your friend. You made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us," Sam said. "Listen to me."

Silence filled the room for a moment before Sam continued speaking.

"You got this dark pit inside you. I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster.

Jack began to laugh. "Have you seen me lately?"

"It doesn't matter what you are," Sam told Jack. "It only matters what you do. It's your choice."

Jack began to grunt in pain. Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. She began to slowly turn around, just in time to see Jack's open mouth moving towards her. Just before his mouth reached her head, the closet door behind Jack slammed open.

"Jack!" Dean shouted.

Amy quickly backed away as Jack spun around to see Sam and Dean standing with flamethrowers in their hands. Jack sat there for a moment, staring at the brothers, before lunging at Sam. Amy quickly shielded her eyes as Sam flicked his lighter and held it up to the flamethrower, torching Jack to a crisp.

Amy groaned as the pain in her head began to catch up to her. She looked up at Sam, who looked defeated.

"Come on, kiddo," Dean said as he helped Amy up. "You okay?"

"My head is pounding," Amy replied, holding the back of her head.

Dean pushed her hair back. "We can get this cleaned up back at the motel room."

* * *

Sam followed behind as Dean helped Amy back out to the car. No one said much as they tossed the flamethrowers into the trunk and got into the car.

Amy climbed into the back seat, resting her head on the window.

"Hey, try to stay awake until we get to the motel room, okay?" Dean asked as Amy began to close her eyes.

"But I'm tired," Amy said sleepily.

"I know," Dean said with a nod. "But we need you to keep your eyes open, alright?"

Amy sighed. "I'll try."

Dean looked over at his brother. "You did the right thing, you know," he said. "That guy was a monster, there was no going back."

Sam lowered his head, not responding to his brother.

"Sam, I wanna tell you, I'm sorry," Dean began. "I've been kind of hard on you lately."

Sam lifted his head up, looking almost broken. "Don't worry about it, Dean."

"It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me," Dean admitted.

"Look, if it's all the same," Sam said, cutting Dean off. "I'd really rather not talk about it."

A small smile played out over Dean's lips. "Wait a minute. What? You don't want to talk? You?" he joked.

Sam didn't smile back. "There's nothing more to say," he said with a shrug. "I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand."

"Why don't you try?" Dean urged.

Sam sighed. "I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with."

"Not alone," Dean said.

Sam sighed as he looked out the window. He was silent for a moment before replying. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. These powers... it's playing with fire. I'm done with them."

Dean looked over at that.

"I'm done with everything," Sam continued.

"Really?" Dean asked, almost hopeful.

Sam stared out the window, now replying.

"Well, that's a relief," Dean said as he turned back to the road. "Thank you."

Sam scoffed as he turned to face Dean. "Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you. Or for the angels or for anybody. This is my choice," he said firmly.

* * *

Dean drove them back to the motel, helping Amy up the stairs to the room. Sam promptly collapsed on the bed the moment they walked through the door.

"Alright, stay there," Dean said as he sat Amy on the bed. "Does your head still hurt?"

"A little," Amy replied, "but not as much."

"Alright, that's good," Dean said. "Hold on, I'll get something to clean up that wound."

Dean disappeared into the bathroom, reemerging a moment later with a first-aid kit. He opened it up, taking out a gauze pad.

"Hold this on the wound," he instructed.

Amy obliged, holding the gauze to the bleeding wound.

"Alright, hold that there for a few minutes and then we'll check on it," Dean told her. He looked over at Sam, who had fallen asleep on the bed, watching him for a few minutes.

Dean cleaned Amy's head wound up. It wasn't bad enough to need stitches, so he only needed to clean the blood up and make sure it actually stopped bleeding.

"That should be good," Dean said after he was finished. "How you feeling?"

"Fine," Amy replied.

"Good," Dean said with a nod. "Get some sleep, then. We'll head out of here in the morning."

Amy yawned. "Sure thing, Dean-o."

After changing out of her jeans and t-shirt and into something more comfortable, Amy climbed into her bed, lying her head down on the pillow and finally drifting off to sleep.


	16. Yellow Fever

**October 20th, 2008 - Rock Ridge, Colorado**

Amy sighed as she sat in the back seat of the Impala, waiting for Sam and Dean to come out of the morgue. They had gotten word a couple days ago about a man who had suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack and had decided to go check it out. Sam and Dean had told Amy to stay in the car, since having three FBI agents show up probably wasn't the best idea.

Twenty minutes after they had gone inside, Amy saw Sam and Dean emerge from the morgue.

"So what have we got?" Amy asked as Sam and Dean got back into the car.

"Guy named Frank O' Brien," Sam informed her, handing her a stack of papers. "Died of a heart attack."

Amy looked at Sam. "Heart attack? That doesn't exactly sound like our kind of thing."

"Well, not at first," Dean agreed, "but this guy plus two others dropped dead unexpectedly. All of them were completely healthy before that."

"Okay..." Amy said, starting to understand.

"Sheriff in town was friends with O'Brien," Dean continued. "Sammy and I will talk to him, figure out anything we can. You wanna go back to the motel or wait in the car again?"

"I'll wait in the car," Amy decided. "It shouldn't take too long anyways."

Dean nodded before starting the engine and driving off towards the sheriff's office.

* * *

Amy sat, once again, waiting for Sam and Dean to come out of the building. She leaned back against the window, watching the cars drive by before the sound of a group of teenagers talking on the sidewalk behind her distracted her. Finally, she spotted them, talking amongst themselves as they walked towards the Impala. Before they got to the Impala, however, Dea pointed at the teenagers, then in a different direction, walking away from the car and leaving a very confused Amy to watch them leave.

Amy pulled out her phone, dialing Sam's number.

"Yeah?" Sam asked as he answered the phone.

"You're going the wrong way," Amy said matter-of-factly. "Where are you guys going?"

"I'm not sure," Sam said. "Dean said something about not liking the teenagers near the Impala and wanted to get away from them or something?"

This only confused Amy even more. "Okay? That's weird."

Sam scoffed. "Yeah," he agreed. "Listen, just hang tight. We'll head back around as soon as I can talk some sense into Dean, here."

"Alright," Amy said before hanging up the phone.

Ten minutes later, Sam and Dean finally began walking back across the street, towards the car. As they got closer to the Impala and the teenagers, Dean got evidently more nervous. He didn't take his eyes off of them as they opened the doors and got in.

"What was that all about?" Amy asked as Sam and Dean got into the front seat.

"Don't ask," Dean said simply.

Amy turned to Sam, hoping for a response, but only got a mere shrug.

"Alright, well, I know I'm not sitting in the car again when you go to question the next guy. I'm either going with or back to the motel."

"It probably wouldn't hurt for you to come with," Sam agreed.

"Oh thank god," Amy said as she leaned back against her seat.

Dean drove them to Mark Hutchins' house. When they arrived, Amy got out of the Impala with them, and Sam handed her her fake FBI badge that said Agent Kramer on it.

Once everyone was ready, Dean led them up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened and a man emerged.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Mark Hutchins?" Sam asked. The man nodded. "Agents Tyler, Perry, and Kramer," Sam continued as they flashed their badges. "We're looking into the death of Frank O'Brien. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Uh, no, not at all," Mark said, shaking his head. "Come on in." He opened the door for them, stepping aside as they walked into the house.

"Cool snake," Amy said with a smile as she pointed to the boa constrictor around Mark's neck.

"You like snakes?"

Amy nodded. "Oh yeah. Snakes, spiders, etcetera. I found a tarantula when I was little. Wanted to keep it as a pet."

Mark let out a hearty laugh as he led them further into the house.

"Tyler, Perry, and Kramer," Mark said with amusement as he led them into the main room. "Just like Aerosmith." The room Mark had led them to was filled with glass cages containing lizards and snakes.

"Yeah, small world," Sam chuckled as they sat down on a couch. "So, the last time you saw Frank O'Brien?"

Mark sat down in a chair across from them. "Monday, he was watching me from his window," he explained. "I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

"Hmm. Did you speak to him recently?" Sam continued. "Did he seem different? Uh, scared?"

"Oh, totally," Mark said with a laugh. "He was freaking out."

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before looking at Dean, who also looked freaked ou.

"Do you know, uh..do you know what scared him?" Dean asked nervously.

"Well, yeah, witches," Mark said, as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Witches?" Sam asked. "Like...?"

"Well, "Wizard of Oz" was on TV the other night, right?" Mark explained. "And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him."

"Was there anything else that scared him?" Amy asked.

"Everything else scared him," Mark explained. "Al-Qaeda, ferrets, artificial sweetener. Those pez dispensers with their dead little eyes. Lots of stuff."

"So, tell me. What was Frank like?" Sam asked.

"I mean, he's dead, you know?" Mark replied, slightly nervous. "I-I don't want to hammer him but, he got better."

"He got better?" Sam questioned.

"Well, in high school he was, he was a dick," Mark admitted.

"A dick?" Sam repeated.

Mark nodded. "Like a bully. I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together," Mark glared at Dean as the hunter snickered before continuing, "Mine included."

"So he pissed a lot of people off," Dean said, straightening up. "You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?"

"Well, I don't," Mark began before looking at them, confused. "Frank had a heart attack, right?"

"Just answer the question, sir,"

Mark shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Like I said, he got better," he repeated. "And after what happened to his wife."

"His wife?" Dean asked. "So he was married."

Mark nodded. "She died about twenty years ago. Frank was really broken up about it." He smirked, seeing Dean stare at the boa around his neck. "Don't be scared of Donny. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you got to look out for." Mark nodded to the couch and Amy turned to see an albino snake creeping up from behind the couch towards Dean. "She smells fear."

Dean smiled nervously as the snake began to crawl down his lap.

"Cool," Amy said with a smile as she watched the snake slither around.

* * *

Later that night, Amy joined Sam in searching Frank's house while Dean went to the county clerk's office to do some digging on Frank's wife.

"Well, doesn't smell like there's any sulfur," Sam noticed as he opened the door to Frank's apartment. "Search around for any EMF. I'll look for hex bags."

"Does Dean seem a bit off to you today?" Amy asked as she waved her EMF meter around. "Like, a little jumpy?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he does. I'm sure it's just nerves or something." Sam chuckled nervously, but Amy could tell he thought something else was going on.

After searching the entire apartment, they came up clean, not finding a single hex bag or trace of EMF.

Sam sighed. "Come on, let's head back to the car."

Sam led Amy back to the car, where Dean was reading something in the front seat.

"Hey," Sam greeted as they got into the car. "Any luck at the county clerk's office?"

Dean sighed. "I'm not sure I'd call it luck. Frank's wife, Jessie, was a manic-depressive. She went off her meds back in '88 and vanished," he explained. "They found her two weeks later, three towns over. Strung up in her motel room, suicide."

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, Frank was working the swing shift when she disappeared. Airtight alibi." He started the Impala and began driving through town. "How was Frank's pad?"

"Nada," Amy said.

"Searched it top to bottom," Sam added. "No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur."

"So probably no ghosts, no witches, no demons," Dean listed off.

Sam scoffed.

"Three down and ninety-seven to go."

"Yeah." Sam leaned over, looking at the speedometer. "Dude, you're going twenty."

"And?" Dean questioned.

"That's the speed limit," Sam said pointedly.

"What? Safety's a crime now?" Dean asked. He drove through the intersection, past their hotel.

"Uh..." Amy said, pointing to the hotel as they drove past.

"Dude, where are you going?" Sam asked. "That was our hotel."

"Sam, I'm not gonna make a left-hand turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal," Dea blurted out. He looked confused by his own statement. "Did I just say that? That was kind of weird."

The EMF meter suddenly started going off in the duffle bag next to Amy.

"Do you hear something?" Sam asked.

Amy dug the meter out of the bag to find it loudly going off. She handed it to Sam, who moved it to and from Dean. As the meter got closer to Dean, the noise got louder and louder.

"Am I haunted?" Dean asked nervously. "Am I haunted?!"

* * *

**Blue Bird Hotel**

Dean finally drove them back to the motel, where they got out and headed up to their room on the fourth floor.

"Okay, what the hell, man?" Dean asked as they entered the room. "Am I haunted or what?"

"I don't know," Sam replied, "maybe." He looked over at Amy, who shrugged.

"I don't know, either," Amy said, "but I'm sure we can figure this out."

"I'll call Bobby in the morning, see if he can shed some light on the subject. Just, try to get some sleep for now. We'll figure this out in the morning."

* * *

**October 21st, 2008**

The next morning, Sam and Amy went out to get breakfast, leaving Dean alone in the motel room.

"You think he's gonna be okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Sam said with uncertainty. "He'll be fine."

"If you say so," Amy said as she followed Sam down the sidewalk.

Sam bought a small box of donuts for breakfast. As they walked back to the hotel, he called Bobby on his cell.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam greeted into his phone. There was a pause. "Yeah, we're doing alright. Hey, listen we're working this case and could use your help with something."

Another pause.

"Yeah, she's here. Hold on, I'll put you on speaker."

Sam put his cell on speaker, holding it so Amy could listen in.

"Hey, Bobby," Amy said into the phone.

"Hey, kid," Bobby's voice came from the speaker. "Alright, so what's going on?"

"You know that guy Frank O'Brien?" Sam asked.

"The guy who dropped dead of a heart attack?" Bobby asked. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, it turns out, right before he died, he was pretty freaked out."

"Over just about everything," Amy added.

"Okay..." Bobby said, trailing off.

"And now the same thing is happening to Dean," Amy continued.

"What do you mean, the same thing is happening to Dean?"

"Exactly that, Bobby," Sam said. "Yesterday, after we talked to the sheriff, he wouldn't go towards the Impala when there were a group of teenagers near it."

"And last night, he actually drove the speed limit and refused to 'turn left onto oncoming traffic' towards our motel room," Amy added.

"And then the EMF meter started going crazy around him," Sam finished.

"Well, if I didn't know any better," Bobby spoke, "that sounds like ghost sickness."

"Ghost sickness?" Sam and Amy asked.

"Well, there are some cultures out there who believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease."

"But we haven't seen a ghost in weeks," Amy pointed out.

"Ghost sickness can be spread just like your common cold through patient zero," Bobby replied. "Symptoms include anxiousness, then a lot of fear until it's too much for your heart to handle."

"Wait, so, then how come Sam and I weren't infected?" Amy asked.

"Well, I've been looking into O'Brien as well," Bobby said. "Turns out Frank was at a softball tournament over the weekend with two other guys. Called themselves the Cornjerkers."

"Anything about these guys stick out?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, all three of them were dicks," Bobby said matter-of-factly.

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance. "What?" Sam asked.

"Well, Frank was a bully, back in the day."

"Yeah," Amy said with a nod.

"And the other two guys, one was a vice principal and the other was a bouncer."

"They used fear to scare people," Amy realized.

"How long does he have then?" Sam asked.

"About forty-eight hours from the time of infection," Bobby explained.

As they got closer to the Impala, the faint sound of Eye of the Tiger could be heard playing over the speakers.

"Okay, thanks, Bobby," Sam said as they approached the car. "We'll call you if we need anything else."

Sam hung up the phone and led Amy over to the Impala. As they got closer, Amy could see Dean lying on the front seat, air drumming to the music. Sam banged on the top of the roof, scaring Dean, who turned off the car.

Dean got out of the car, looking around as he rolled up his sleeve. "Dude. Look at this," he said as he showed them a bunch of small scratches on his arm.

"We just talked to Bobby," Sam said as he handed the box of donuts to Dean.

Dean took the box of donuts and, after sniffing the box, tossed it into the car. "And?"

Sam looked at the box of donuts, confused. "Um, well, you're not gonna like it."

"What?" Dean asked.

"Bobby says it's ghost sickness," Amy explained.

"Ghost sickness?" Dean repeated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"God, no," Dean complained.

"Yeah," Sam repeated.

"I don't even know what that is," Dean stated.

"Okay. Some cultures believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started taking them off to funeral homes," Sam explained.

"Okay, get to the good stuff," Dean urged.

"Symptoms are you get anxious," Sam began.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"And then you start getting scared," Amy continued. "Until your so scared your heart can't handle it anymore."

"Sound familiar?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but Sam, we haven't seen a ghost in weeks," Dean pointed out.

"Well, I doubt you caught it from a ghost," Sam said. "Look, once a spirit infects that first person, Ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brien was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

"Our very own outbreak monkey," Dean realized.

Sam nodded. "Right. Get this, Frank was in Maumee over the weekend. Softball tournament. Which is where he must have infected the other two victims."

"Were they gamecocks?" Dean asked.

"Cornjerkers," Sam corrected.

"So, ghosts infected Frank," Dean realized. "He passed it onto the other guys and I got it from his corpse?"

"Right," Sam confirmed.

"So now what, I have forty-eight hours before I go insane and my heart stops?"

"More like twenty-four," Sam corrected.

"Chances are, you got infected at the morgue," Amy added.

Dean scoffed. "Super."

"Yeah."

"Well, why me? Why not you?" Dean asked. "I mean, you got hit with the spleen juice."

"Gross," Amy muttered.

"Yeah, um, you see we have a theory about that too," Sam explained. "Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims, one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer."

"Okay," Dean said, not quite getting the point.

"Basically, they were all dicks," Sam concluded.

"So you're saying I'm a dick?" Dean asked, slightly offended.

"No, no, no," Sam said. "It's not just that. All three victims used fear as a weapon, and now this disease is just returning the favor."

Dean scoffed. "I don't scare people."

"Dean, all we do is scare people."

"Okay, well then, you're a dick too," Dean pointed out. "And so is Amy."

"Hey!" Amy cried out, offended by Dean's remark.

Sam let out a laugh. "Apparently, we're not."

"Besides, I wasn't even with you guys when you went to the morgue," Amy pointed out.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How do we stop it?"

"We gank the ghost that started all this," Sam stated. "We do that, the disease should clear up."

"You thinking Frank's wife?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Who knows why she killed herself, you know?" He looked at the hotel behind him, before turning back to Dean. "Hey, what are you doing waiting out here, anyway?"

Dean pointed a finger up to the hotel. "Our room's on the fourth floor," he stated.

Sam shook his head.

"It's...it's high," Dean finished.

Sam scoffed. "I'll see if I can move us down to the first."

"Thanks."

Sam nodded. "Sure."

Amy leaned against the Impala as Sam went inside to move them to a lower floor and Dean climbed back into the Impala.

"Hey hand me that box of donuts?" Amy asked. Dean handed her the box and she took a glazed one out, taking a bite as she handed the box back to Dean.

* * *

A short while later, Sam walked back out of the hotel.

"Alright," Sam said as he handed Dean the room key, "we're on the first floor. You go relax in the room while Amy and I go dig up anything we can on Jessie O'Brien, okay?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sure. Piece of cake."

Sam nodded. "Okay, then." When Dean didn't move from the car, Sam added, "Dean, that means you need to get out of the car and walk to the room."

"Walk?" Dean asked, pointing across the parking lot. "Across there?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, Dean. Across there."

"But what if a car comes?"

"What if a - " Sam stopped himself mid sentence, exchanging a glance with Amy. "Dean, a car isn't going to come."

"You don't know that," Dean pointed out.

Sam sighed. "Okay. Amy, wait in the car," he said as he tossed Amy the car keys, "I'll be right back."

Sam led Dean across the street into the motel room as Amy started the engine and climbed into the passenger seat.

A moment later, Sam came back out, getting into the driver's side.

"We need to get this sorted out," Amy stated as Sam closed the car door. "ASAP."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed as he backed out of the parking space. "Ya think?"

* * *

Sam and Amy spent the next few hours digging up anything they could find on Jessie O'Brien. They soon learned that Jessie had been cremated, which ruled her out as the ghost haunting Dean.

"Alright, so if it's not Jessie?" Amy asked as they left the library, "then who the hell could it be?"

"Frank O'Brien had to have come in contact with a ghost some time before he died, right?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "Right."

"So we just need to figure out who that ghost was."

"Oh, yeah, that should be no problem. We've only got," Amy paused, checking an imaginary watch, "a day to find this ghost and it's not like there are hundreds or even thousands of them out there."

"We should find out where Frank worked," Sam stated. "Maybe that'll give us some clues."

* * *

Sam drove the Impala back to the hotel. Amy followed him into the room, where Dean was found sitting on the sofa, drinking a beer, while a broken clock lay on the floor.

"Everything all right?" Sam asked, looking at the broken clock.

"Oh,yeah," Dean said, chuckling nervously. "Just peachy. Find anything?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she is not our ghost." He grabbed Dean's arm. "Hey, quit picking at that," he said, gesturing to the scratch marks Dean had been picking at. "How you feeling?"

"Awesome," Dean replied sarcastically. "It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like."

"Don't worry, Dean," Amy said, "we'll figure this out."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We'll keep looking."

Dean suddenly began to cough violently.

"Dean?" Amy asked, panic driven in her voice.

"You okay?" Sam asked, holding his brother as he bent forward. "Hey!"

Dean began to choke.

"Dean," Sam repeated. He quickly turned his brother away, leading him to the bathroom, with Amy following behind.

Dean coughed a few more times over the sink before spitting out a wood chip.

Sam picked up the woodchip, looking it over. "We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have, you," he told Dean.

"I don't want to be a clue," Dean

"The abrasions, this, the disease, it's trying to tell us something," Sam continued.

"Tell us what, wood chips?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Exactly."

"The lumber mill," Amy realized.

"Let's go check it out," Sam said. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "You're coming with."

* * *

Sam drove the Impala to the local lumber mill with Dean in the passenger seat and Amy once again in the back. When they arrived, Dean got out, looking at the mill apprehensively.

"I'm not going in there," Dean stated.

"We might need you," Sam said. "You're going in, Dean."

Dean took a shot of whiskey and sighed. "Let's do this." He looked back up at the building. "It is a little spooky, isn't it?"

Amy got her shotgun out of the trunk as Sam handed one to Dean.

"Oh, I'm not carrying that," Dean said, looking at the gun. At Sam's look, he laughed nervously. "It could go off. I'll man the flashlight." He smiled, gripping the flashlight tightly.

Sam sighed. You do that."

"Let's go, scaredy cat," Amy said as she followed Sam and Dean into the mill.

Sam, Dean, and Amy made their way through the mill. With Dean around, though, the EMF meter began to go crazy.

"EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it?" Dean asked as Sam moved the EMF meter near him.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You don't say. Come on."

They continued moving further into the mill.

"Wait," Sam said, startling Dean as he pointed to a gold ring on the floor. "To Frank. Love, Jessie," he said as he read the inscription. "Frank O'Brien's ring."

"What the hell was Frank doing here?" Dean wondered.

"No idea," Sam said as he continued walking.

As they walked into a room full of lockers, a soft rustling noise could be heard from inside one of the lockers. Amy and Dean stood off to the side as Sam grabbed the handle to the locker, counting down from three, before yanking the door open.

As soon as Sam opened the door, a cat bolted out from the top shelf, startling Dean so much that he screamed for a good few seconds, before stopping to catch his breath.

"That was scary!" Dean exclaimed. Sam rolled his eyes and walked out of the room with Amy. "Wait," Dean called after them.

"Hey, what's that?" Amy asked, pointing to something that was half-buried in woodchips.

Sam picked it up, examining the I.D. Card as Dean caught up with them. "Luther Garland."

Dean pointed to a drawing on a nearby table. "Hey, this is uh...this is Frank's wife," he said, walking over.

"Plot thickens," Sam said as he walked over to the drawing.

"Yeah, but into what?" Dean asked.

Dean tore off the drawing and the machines around them suddenly turned on. Gun at the ready, Amy spun around to see a tall, bald, man in a workers uniform. She shot the ghost as Dean sprinted out of the mill.

"Hey!" Sam shouted at Dean. "Come on!"

Amy and Sam sprinted after Dean, out of the mill. They found Dean outside, hiding behind the Impala as he took another drink of his whiskey.

"Guess we got the right place," Sam said.

"Looks like it," Amy added. "You okay there, Dean?"

Dean took another shot of whiskey. "Oh yeah," he said. "Peachy."

"Alright well, hang in there," Sam said. "Let's head down to the sheriff's office and get the file on Luther."

* * *

Amy waited in the car, once more as Sam and a now-drunk Dean headed into the sheriff's office to get the file. Dean had finished the entire bottle of whiskey on the car ride to the office, leaving Sam to have to lead him inside.

Sam handed Amy the file as they got into the car and she immediately began flipping through it.

"Dean and I need to head down to the retirement home. If anyone knows anything about Luther's death, it'll be his brother," Sam said as Amy flipped through the file.

Amy sighed. "Okay. So, I guess I'll wait in the car then?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "Sorry about that. I know you've been with us long enough to go in for questioning with one of us, but having three FBI agents show up might raise suspicions."

"No, I get it," Amy said, handing Sam the file. "You guys talk to Mr. Garland. I'll wait in the car."

* * *

**Peaceful Pines Retirement Home**

Amy stood outside the Impala as she waited for Sam and Dean to come out of the retirement home, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

"Now we know what these are," Dean said, gesturing to the scratches on his arm as the door opened and he walked out with Sam, "road rash. And I'm guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips when he was being dragged down that road."

"Makes sense," Sam agreed. "You're experiencing his death in slow motion."

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"Turns out Frank killed Luther," Sam explained. "Dragged him up and down the lumber mill road."

"What the hell?" Amy asked.

"Alright," Dean said, clapping his hands together, "I say we burn some bones and get me healthy."

Sam scoffed. "Dean, it won't be that easy."

"No, no, it'll be that easy," Dean insisted. "Why wouldn't it be that easy?"

"If Luther was dragged up and down that road, he would have been ripped to pieces," Amy explained.

"He was probably scattered all over that road," Sam continued. "There's no way we're gonna find all the remains."

"You're kidding me," Dean said.

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out," Sam insisted.

Dean scoffed. "You know what? Screw this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dean," Sam argued.

"Come on," Dean yelled. He turned back to Sam. "No, I mean, come on, Sam. What are we doing?!"

"We're hunting a ghost," Sam stated.

"A ghost, exactly!" Dean repeated. "Who does that?"

"Us."

"Us?" Dean asked. "Right. And that Sam, that is exactly why our lives suck. I mean, come on, we hunt monsters! What the hell?!" he shouted. "I mean, normal people, they see a monster, and they run. But not us, no, no, no, we - we search out things that want to kill us. Yeah? Huh? Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people!"

Amy walked up to Sam, standing by him as Dean continued ranting.

"We...are insane!" Dean continued, gesturing his finger to the three of them. "You know, and then there's the bad diner food and then the skeevy motel rooms and then the truck-stop waitress with the bizarre rash. I mean, who wants this life, Sam? Huh? Seriously? Do you actually like being stuck in a car with me eight hours a day, every single day?" Dean didn't give Sam time to answer before continuing. "I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast. And I listen to the same five albums over and over and over again, a-and I sing along. I'm annoying, I know that. And you -you're gassy! You eat half a burrito, and you get toxic!"

Dean looked over at Amy. "And her?" he asked. "I mean what the hell were we thinking? She wakes up, or whatever in this world, knows practically everything about us and we just decide to make her a hunter?"

Amy opened her mouth to protest on Dean's statement, but closed it, ultimately deciding not to.

"What is wrong with us. I mean, you know what?" Dean sighed, tossing Dean the keys. "You can forget it."

Sam caught the keys. "Whoa, Dean. where are you going?"

"Stay away from me Sam, okay?" Dean asked as he walked away. "Cause I am done with it. I'm done with the monsters and - and - and the hellhounds and the ghost sickness and the damn apocalypse. I'm out. I'm done. Quit."

Amy sighed as Dean disappeared down the street. "Well, that went well."

* * *

Sam and Amy spent the next several hours driving around, looking for Dean, until finally finding him back in the motel room

"Amy and I looked everywhere for you, Dean," Sam said as Amy followed him into the motel room. "How the hell did you get here?"

"Ran," Dean stated as he took a drink of his beer. "What do we do now? I got less than four hours on the clock. I'm gonna die, Sammy."

Sam and Amy sat on the couch, Dean in between them.

"No, you're not Dean," Sam stated. "You're not going back."

"Back?" Dean asked, fear in his voice.

"We won't let anything happen to you, Dean," Amy assured the hunter. "Sam and I will figure this out, right? We have before."

Sam turned to Dean with a smile. Without warning, Dean suddenly grabbed Sam by the shoulders, pulling him backwards as he backed up against the wall.

"No! You get out of my brother, you evil son of a bitch!" Dean shouted, struggling against Sam.

"Dean, what the hell are you talking about?" Sam shouted. "No one's possessing me."

Amy jumped forward, trying to help Sam calm down Dean. "Dean?" she asked as Dean started choking. "Dean, hey!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Dean," Sam said, trying to get his brother back to reality. "Hey, Dean. Dean. Dean."

Dean finally seemed to snap out of it. He calmed down, looking up at Sam and Amy.

"Call Bobby," Sam instructed Amy. "Tell him to meet us at the mill."

Amy nodded, running off to grab her phone and call Bobby.

* * *

**October 22nd, 2008 - Lumber Mill**

Amy stood with Sam next to the Impala as they waited for Bobby to show up. Around six in the morning, a familiar car pulled up

"Howdy, Sam," Bobby greeted, getting out of his car. "Amy."

"Hi Bobby," Amy greeted back.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam said. "Thanks for coming so quick."

"Where's Dean?" Bobby asked.

"Uh, home sick," Sam stated.

"So, have his hallucinations started yet?" Bobby asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, a few hours ago."

"How we doing on time?" Bobby asked.

"We saw the coroner about 8:00 a.m. Monday morning," Sam recalled, "so, uh...just under two hours. What about you? You find anything?"

Bobby pulled out a book. "This uh, encyclopaedia of spirits dates to the Edo period." He handed the book to Sam. Amy looked at page, which was filled with Japanese characters.

"You can read Japanese?" Sam asked, looking at the text.

In response, Bobby said something in Japanese.

"Guess so," Sam said with a scoff, "show-off."

Amy rolled her eyes as Bobby continued. "Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy." He pointed to a picture in the book. "It uh, infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."

"It say how to kill it?" Sam asked.

"Same as usual," Bobby stated. "Burn the remains."

"Great," Amy muttered.

"Uh...is there a Plan B?" Sam asked.

"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear," Bobby explained. "Hell, it is fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear."

"Scare a ghost to death?" Amy asked.

Bobby nodded. "Pretty much."

"How the hell we gonna do that?" Sam asked.

"How did this Luther guy die?" Bobby asked.

"He was road hauled," Amy explained. "Dragged up and down the road behind a car, with a chain around his neck."

"Wait a minute," Sam said. "That might work."

"What, you wanna roadhaul a ghost?" Bobby asked.

"It could work," Sam said. "I'll call Dean, let him know we have a plan."

Before anyone could say anything, Sam walked away, pulling out his phone.

"Do we have a plan?" Amy asked.

"Sam seems to think so," Bobby replied.

A moment later, Sam came back to the car.

"This is a terrible plan," Bobby stated.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"I know I said, "scare the ghost to death" but this?" Bobby asked.

"Hey, you got a better idea, I'm listening," Sam insisted.

"Okay, so, what are we gonna do?" Amy asked.

"Well, lucky for us, I've got an iron chain in the trunk of my car," Bobby explained. "I know a spell to enchant it so we should be able to get it around Luther's neck if we're lucky. You guys just gotta make him mad. I'll stay here with the car to... roadhaul the ghost."

"Okay," Sam said. He grabbed his shotgun, handing the other to Amy. "Let's go then."

Amy followed Sam into the mill. They walked through the small, office like room from earlier and the locker room, but Luther was nowhere to be seen.

"Any luck?" Bobby asked through the walkie talkie as they entered the room with machinery.

"I don't know what's wrong, Bobby." Sam said. "Last time he came right at us. It's almost like he's, uh," he scoffed, "like he's scared."

"Wait, no he didn't," Amy realized.

"What do you mean, kid?" Bobby asked.

"Last time we were here, Luther didn't come right at us," Amy explained. "It wasn't until," she paused, looking around until she spotted a drawing. "Until Dean tore one of the drawings." She grabbed a drawing, looking at Sam for confirmation.

Sam readied his shotgun. "Do it."

Amy tore the drawing off and the machinery whirred to life.

"Tear off another," Sam instructed.

Amy tore off another drawing and the machinery started moving faster.

"Come on, Luther!" Sam shouted. "Where the hell are you? What are you waiting for?"

Amy tore off another drawing as Sam turned back around to face her.

"Amy!" Sam shouted, panic in his voice as he pointed behind the young girl.

Amy spun around, just in time to see Luther before she was suddenly thrown back into the wall.

"Ow," Amy groaned as she stood up.

Sam was on the floor as he struggled with Luther's spirit, who had him pinned. She quickly ran up, grabbing the chain and throwing it around Luther's neck, wrapping it around.

"Bobby, punch it!" Sam shouted.

Outside, the sound of an engine revving could be heard. The chain began to move and a moment later, the doors were thrown open and Luther was dragged outside.

Sam and Amy ran outside to see Bobby speeding up the road, Luther's ghost behind him. Just before Bobby hit a wall, Luther's ghost disappeared, and Amy breathed a sigh of relief along with Sam.

Sam immediately pulled out his phone, calling Dean.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said into his phone. "How you feeling, man?" There was a pause. "Great, that - that's great." Another pause. "Okay, sure thing. I'll head down to the motel and get you, then." There was a final pause. "Okay. See you then."

Sam hung up and followed Amy over to Bobby.

"I cannot believe that worked," Bobby said as they approached.

"Yeah," Sam said with a slight laugh. "Me either. Hey listen, I'm gonna go pick Dean up from the hotel. See you guys in a bit." Without another word, he got into the Impala and drove off.

Amy sat on the trunk of Bobby's car as they waited for Sam to return.

"How you doing, kid?" Bobby asked.

Amy sighed. "Okay, I guess." She rubbed her sore back. "You know, for a ghost, Luther sure hits hard."

* * *

A short while later, Sam pulled up in the Impala with Dean.

."So you guys road-hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean asked as he stepped out of the car.

"Iron chain etched with spell work," Sam explained.

Dean took a sip of his beer. "Hmm, that's a new one."

"But, hey, it worked," Amy reminded him.

"It was what he was most afraid of," Sam continued. "It was pretty brutal, though."

Dean let out a laugh. "On the upside, I'm still alive, so uh, go team!" he cheered, raising his beer.

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "How you feeling, by the way?"

Dean nodded. "Fine."

"You sure, Dean?" Bobby teased. "'Cause this line of work can get awful scary."

"I'm fine," Dean insisted. "You want to go hunting? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything."

"You hear that guys?" Amy asked, looking at Dean the same way she looked at a puppy. "Dean wants to hunt the scawy monsters."

"Awwww, he's adorable," Bobby teased. "I got to get out of here. You boys drive safe."

"You too, Bobby," Sam said as Bobby walked to his car. "Hey, thanks."

"See ya, Bobby," Amy called out as Bobby drove off.

"So uh...so, what did you see?" Sam asked his brother. "Near the end, I mean."

"Oh, besides a cop beating my ass?" Dean joked.

"Seriously."

Dean looked at Sam for a moment before looking away, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. "Howler monkeys," he stated, taking another shot of beer. "Whole roomful of them. Those things creep the hell out of me."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Right."

"No, just the usual stuff, Sammy," Dean insisted. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Amy spoke up, "but I wanna get out of here."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Dean agreed.

After packing their shotguns into the trunk, the three hunters climbed into the Impala. Amy rested her head on the window as Dean started the engine and drove off, leaving the town of Rockridge, Colorado behind.


	17. Sallie House

**October 24th, 2008 - Freebury, Wyoming**

**Nova Motel**

Amy sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. They had been driving around for two days looking for a case and had come up short. Not that Amy was complaining, though. It was nice to get a little break after the events that occurred in Rock Ridge, Colorado.

"Okay, what about this?" Dean asked, drawing Amy's attention away from the ceiling. "Local man claims to see two lights flying towards him down the street."

"You're getting desperate, aren't you?" Amy asked, flipping over onto her stomach. "Let's see, that's either drunk guy sees two people with flashlights walking towards him from a distance at night and freaks out, or," she slowly moved her finger towards Dean, putting on her best E.T. voice, "E.T. phone home."

Dean closed his laptop. "Maybe I am getting desperate," he claimed. "But, I need something after Colorado."

"Dean, that wasn't that long ago," Sam stated. "We'll find something."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, well..." he trailed off.

Amy laughed, throwing a pillow in Dean's face with her powers. She smirked as Dean grabbed the cushion off of the floor and glared mischievously at her.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Dean asked as Sam laughed in the background.

In response, Amy stuck her tongue out.

Dean threw the pillow back, only to have it stopped in mid-air by Amy, who immediately redirected it back to his face.

"Hey, is it just me," Sam said as Dean tossed the pillow back on the bed, "or are your powers getting stronger?"

Amy sighed. "Maybe?" she asked with uncertainty. "I mean, it sure seems that way. I don't have to concentrate as much anymore to use them."

"And then there was that time, not long after Dean came back," Sam recalled. "With those two ghost girls and Bobby?"

Amy sat up. "Oh yeah. I had almost forgotten about that."

"Wait, what happened?" Dean asked.

"Right," Amy said, "so much was happening that day, I guess we forgot to tell you."

"Bobby was trapped in a van at the top of a pile of old, rusted cars," Sam explained, "I climbed up to rescue him, and those two ghost girls threw me off."

"Without even thinking I kind of, yelled out Sam's name and..." Amy held out her hands, demonstrating what she had done that day, "did this..."

"And I slowed down," Sam finished. "I didn't hit the ground as hard as I probably would have."

"Oh yeah," Dean said, "and there was that other thing, I think, around the same time. You seemed to hear something that I didn't say, but had rather thought instead."

Amy nodded. "Yeah. It was so weird. I could hear you, loud and clear, only you hadn't actually said it."

"It's been a month since that happened," Sam said, "has anything else happened since then? More specifically, anything like either of those two things that happened before?"

Amy shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, it's pretty clear your powers are getting stronger," Dean stated. "I mean, you've already gone from not being able to use them at all to suddenly having them back."

"Yeah, uh, how did you get your powers back anyway?" Sam asked. "I mean, they seemed to just appear out of nowhere. I know you had told us about them in the past, but I was honestly beginning to think you didn't actually have them. At least, until you began using them."

"Oh, uh," Amy said, trying to think up something on the spot that didn't sound too unrealistic, "I guess I just kinda knew they were still there if that makes sense. Like, my powers didn't just vanish into thin air. I had just forgotten how to use them."

"You did mention, at some point," Sam added, "that you used to be able to use your powers on yourself and kinda hover a little, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yep. That was actually one of the very first things I did when I discovered my powers when I was younger. I fell from a rock wall and stopped myself in mid-air before hitting the ground."

"How old were you when that happened?"

"Five?" Amy guessed. "Maybe a little older. It wasn't until another couple of years that I was able to do the whole hovering thing again, though. I think the only time I was able to do it that first time was because I was falling from pretty high up and wanted to not seriously injure or kill myself. I don't even really remember how I did it after that, to be honest."

"Have you tried to do it since you got your powers back?" Sam asked.

Amy shook her head. "No," she admitted.

"What if you tried, right now?" Dean asked.

"Dude, I don't even know how I did it the first time," Amy repeated. "And at this point, it's been almost a decade since I did."

"Come on," Dean encouraged, "just try."

"Do you remember anything about how you were able to do it?" Sam asked.

Amy sighed, getting onto her feet. "I don't know," she said. "I know I was using my powers on myself. Kinda like-" Amy paused briefly as she tried to remember what she had done all those years ago. She focused her powers on the lower half of her body, willing it to lift off the ground.

Amy suddenly gave a yelp as she found both her feet suddenly lifting off the ground. She hovered for a few seconds before falling back to the ground.

"Huh," Amy said, "I guess it was easier than I thought."

"Wow," Sam said, in complete shock, "that was actually kinda impressive."

Dean closed his gaping mouth. "Okay. So, telekinesis, mind-reading, and levitation. Is there anything else you can do?"

Amy shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"So how come you were able to do that mind-reading and other things a month ago, but nothing's happened since?" Sam asked.

Amy shrugged. "I don't know. Adrenaline, maybe? At least for the thing with Sam. I saw him falling towards the ground, and I panicked. Did the first thing that came to mind which, for some reason, was to reach my hands out like I was trying to catch him or something. As if I could actually do that."

"And the other thing?"

"I think I was just concentrating more than I usually was," Amy guessed.

"Do you think you could do it again?" Sam asked.

Amy shrugged. "Honestly? Yeah, probably."

"Quick, what am I thinking?" Dean asked, staring Amy down.

"I don't know," Amy said, "but I know I'm thinking that you staring at me like that is making me feel pretty uncomfortable."

"Dean, come on," Sam said sternly, hitting his brother in the arm.

"Ow!" Dean whined. "Okay, okay. But if anything does happen, you tell us, okay?"

Amy nodded. "Will do."

* * *

Later that night, Amy had just changed into a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable shirt. She was currently lying on the bed, flipping through the motel T.V. channels while Sam and Dean searched for a case.

' _Come on, there's gotta be something we can do_ ,' Amy heard Dean say. She looked over at the brothers. ' _A ghost, demon. Hell, I'd even take a werewolf_.'

"I'm sure we'll find something, Dean," Amy said. "Would you just relax already?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance.

"Amy, what did you just hear me say?" Dean asked.

"Come on, there's gotta be something we can do," Amy repeated. "A ghost, demon. Hell, I'd even take a werewolf."

"I didn't say that out loud," Dean stated.

Amy sat up, now fully aware of what had just happened. "Which means it happened again."

"But you weren't even doing anything," Dean said. "You were just flipping through the channels."

"Exactly," Sam said in realization. "She wasn't doing anything. She was just relaxing, not really thinking about all that much."

"And that triggered it?" Dean asked.

"Maybe," Sam said with a shrug. "I mean, she probably didn't have a lot on her mind, so it might have been easier for what you were thinking to slip through."

"Okay, well, let's see if we can't at least figure this out," Dean said. "'Cause I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to keep her out of my head."

"I mean, I technically have already been in your head," Amy reminded Dean, "with the dream root thing?"

"That was different," Dean said. "Those were dreams, this is more what I'm thinking at that moment."

"Well, I mean, now that we at least know how it works, maybe we can help her control it."

"How?" Dean asked. "I mean, you got your psychic crap, or whatever, but I feel like this is pretty different than that."

"Well, no duh," Amy said with a laugh, "exorcising demons is pretty far off from mind-reading."

"I just mean," Sam continued, "We should probably try to figure out how to help her control it better. So that nothing happens in the middle of a hunt, or anything."

"As long as she stays out of my head afterward, and this gives me something to do, then I say let's do it," Dean decided. He turned to Amy. "Alright, let's try this again," he leaned back in his chair. "What am I thinking."

Amy tried to focus. She tried to ignore the sounds of passing cars out the window or the water tap dripping water into the sink from the bathroom.

 _'Bring me a pie. Bring me a pie. Bring me a pie. Bring me a_ -'

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm not bringing you a pie, and you're not a Jedi anyway, so that wouldn't have worked."

Dean threw his arms up triumphantly. "It worked!"

"What was he thinking?" Sam asked.

"Bring me a pie," Amy replied. "Over and over and over."

"Seriously, Dean?" Sam asked.

"What?" Dean asked. "It worked."

Amy sighed. "You are unbelievable, sometimes." She yawned, a wave of fatigue washing over her. "Alright, it's late, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Night, Amy," Sam and Dean said simultaneously.

"Night, guys." Amy rolled over, placing her head on the pillow as she tried to get to sleep.

* * *

**October 25th, 2008**

Amy was awoken early the next morning by a pillow being thrown in her face. She groaned at the unexpected awakening as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

"What?" she grumbled.

"Get up," Dean said gleefully, "I found us a case."

"Wait, really?" Amy asked, now interested. "Where?"

"A family was murdered inside their own home in Atchison, Kansas. No sign of a break-in, and a few days before they died, they claimed the lights were flickering, and they could hear scratching in the walls."

Amy sighed. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing," she said. "I'll get dressed, and then we can head out?"

"Sound's good," Sam said.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were packed up and in the Impala.

Amy sat in the backseat, eyes flashing between the brothers as they muttered between themselves, casting Amy a glance every once in a while.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sam asked.

"No," Dean admitted, "but if it works and it helps her, you know, then I say we give it a shot."

"You know," Amy said, leaning forward, "if you're going to talk about me, you might want to make sure I'm, one, not right behind you and two, not deaf."

"Alright, alright," Dean said. "Sam and I were just thinking that maybe this case will be a good opportunity for you to practice your powers."

"On other people?" Amy asked. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Not your whole mind-moving, crap, or whatever," Dean said, "but the mind-reading."

"Isn't that kind of an invasion of privacy?" Amy asked. "Reading complete strangers' minds?"

"If you don't want to, it's fine," Sam said, "but we just thought it would be a good way to both get some new information and help you practice these new powers."

Amy sighed. "Let me think about it. I'll let you know when we get to Atchison."

Dean nodded. "Sounds good.

Amy leaned back in her seat, staring out the window.

' _On the one hand_ ,' she thought, ' _this could be a good opportunity to enhance and practice my powers without Gabe around to help. On the other hand, though, I don't exactly feel comfortable going through complete strangers heads_.' She sighed as she watched trees on the side of the road flash by. ' _Why can't I just be a normal girl with normal problems. Someone who doesn't have to think about stuff like this? Why the hell do I even have these stupid powers? I know we haven't met you yet, Chuck, but I'm gonna want some damn answers when we do. And number one is what the hell_?'

* * *

**Atchison, Kansas**

Late that night, Dean pulled into the Ortiz Enterprises Hotel, after stopping once earlier to get dinner. Sam checked them into a room on the third floor, and they headed in.

"So, you make a decision yet?" Dean asked.

Amy sighed. "Alright, I'll do it. But this is the only time, got it?"

Dean nodded. "Deal."

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the motel room, tossing her bag onto one of the beds.

Sam immediately pulled out his laptop. "Okay, so victims' names were Brian and Rebecca Torres. Married thirteen years." He scrolled through the news article. "Uh, apparently they were pretty well known in the neighborhood, despite only moving in a few months ago. Mr. Torres worked in the law firm business, and Mrs. Torres frequented the neighborhood but mostly stayed home to" he paused for a moment, "prepare for their son to be born."

"That poor, unborn baby," Amy said sympathetically.

"So, who should we talk to first?" Dean asked.

"How about the person that found them?" Sam asked. "Jacob Thompson," he read. "Looks like he lives across the street from where the Torres used to live."

"Sounds good," Dean said. "We'll go talk to him first thing in the morning."

* * *

**October 26th, 2008 - Ortiz Enterprises Hotel**

The next day, they got ready to go out. Dean drove them to Jacob Thompson's house, parking the Impala across the street. He handed Amy her FBI badge as they got out.

"Just see what you can find out, okay?" Dean asked. "See if he's hiding anything."

"I still don't like this plan, but okay," Amy agreed.

Sam led them up the front steps and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened, and a balding man appeared behind the screen.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Jacob Thompson?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Jacob replied.

"I'm agent Bonham," he introduced, flashing his badge. "This is agent Lee and agent..." Dean paused for a moment, "Jones," he finally said. Sam and Amy flashed their badges as well. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jacob opened the screen door. "Come on in."

"This is about Brian and Rebecca Torres, right?" Mr. Thompson asked as he led them into the living room.

"Yes, it is," Dean confirmed.

The three hunters sat down on the couch, directly across from Mr. Thompson.

"Now, Mr. Thompson, you were the one who found the bodies, correct?" Sam asked.

Jacob nodded. "That's right. I used to see Brian and Rebecca at least once a day, either before I left for work or when I got home. When I didn't see them for a day or so, I got worried. Went to check up on them and, well, you know the rest."

Amy sat there as Sam and Dean questioned Mr. Thompson. She did her best to concentrate on Mr. Thompson's thoughts, rather than what he was saying.

"Mr. Thompson, do you know if the Torres' had any enemies? Anyone that would want to harm them in any way?" Dean asked.

"Oh no," Mr. Thompson replied, shaking his head. "Everyone loved Rebecca and Brian."

' _If you mean, loved to think up ways to get them out of here_ ,' Amy heard Jacob think. ' _God, I'm sure I can list fifty people around this town that wanted them dead_.'

"Mr. Thompson," Amy spoke up, "withholding information from the FBI is a federal crime. If there's anything you can tell us, now would be the time."

Mr. Thompson looked shocked. Finally, he sighed. "Okay. If I'm gonna be honest, a lot of people hated them. They'd often talk about the Torres's behind their back. I think a few even plotted to kill them. Brian wasn't exactly the nicest person to get along with, and Rebecca. Well, it was pretty obvious she only cared about herself." Jacob sighed again. "Look, I'm sure there are lots of people in this neighborhood who are glad they're gone."

"Can we get a list of the people who mentioned might have plotted to kill them?" Dean asked.

"Of course," Mr. Thompson said, standing up, "I'll just be a moment."

When Mr. Thompson was out of earshot, Sam and Dean turned to Amy.

"So, what did you hear?" Sam asked.

"Not much," Amy explained. "Just that he could probably make a list of fifty people who wanted them dead."

"Nice going, kid," Dean praised.

"Thanks," Amy muttered. "I still don't feel comfortable doing this, though."

"We promised it would be a one-time thing, and we meant it," Sam reassured her."

Mr. Thompson returned with a sheet of printer paper, that had various names written all over it.

Dean stood up, reaching for the paper. "That was fast?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna hide anything from you guys," Jacob said, "a few months ago, I started getting these, I guess you could call it a gut feeling, about some of the neighbors here. Started keeping tabs on them in case anything ever happened."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Thompson, and your honesty," Sam said, "we'll be in touch if there are any further questions."

Jacob Thompson stood up. "Anytime," he said, "let me know if there's any other way I can help."

Sam nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean to the Impala, climbing into the backseat.

"So, I guess it worked," Sam said as Dean drove away from the house. "How are you feeling?"

"I've got a bit of a headache," Amy admitted, "but other than that, I'm doing okay."

"Well, at least we know you've got some control over it," Dean said, looking at Amy through the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah," Amy muttered. "Hey, why are you guys helping me with this anyway?" she asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm not alone in this. But, knowing you guys, you aren't exactly the type of people who would seem too keen on this."

"Alright, look," Dean replied, "I'm not exactly too into the idea of you having powers."

Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat at this but didn't say anything.

"But you didn't exactly try to hide them from us either," Dean continued, "and that counts."

"We wanna do anything we can to help you, Amy," Sam said.

"You're family, Amy," Dean continued. "And family cares about you. They're there through all of it. The good and the bad."

Amy was almost in disbelief. "Family?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Amy. You're our family."

"Which means, like it or not, we're here for you, kid," Dean finished.

Amy smiled as she leaned back in her seat. She had never really thought about it that way, but Sam and Dean Winchester themselves had confirmed something she had been wondering for a long time. She rested her head on the cold window, listening to Sam and Dean talk about the case from the front seat as Dean drove them back to the motel.

* * *

When they got back to the hotel room, Sam pulled out his laptop, opening up anything he could find on the Torres's and their house.

"Okay," he said, clearing his throat. "So, according to this, the Torres's house first belonged to a family in the eighteen hundreds. A Mr. and Mrs. Finney. Uh, they had a daughter named Sally, who supposedly died during a botched appendicitis surgery inside the house. After that, the husband seemed to go on a rampage, killing his wife and then himself almost one month later."

"So now Sally and her parents are back?" Amy asked.

"I don't see anything else it could be," Sam said.

"Alright," Dean said, clapping his hands together, "I say we torch some bones and get out of here, then."

"Does it say where they were buried?" Amy asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Sam said, shaking his head. "Nearest cemetery is the Mount Vernon Cemetery, though. It's only a few miles from the house. That might be a good place to start."

Dean nodded. "Sounds good. We'll head out tonight, search a graveyard, hopefully, torch some bones, and be out of here by tomorrow." Without another word, Dean threw himself face-first onto the bed, falling asleep.

Amy sighed as she watched Dean fall asleep so quickly.

* * *

**Mount Vernon Cemetery**

Later that night, Dean drove them to the cemetery. They searched through the plot sites, until finally coming across two gravestones.

**Charles Finney**

**Born 1801 - Died 1832**

**Beloved husband**

**Michelle Finney**

**Born 1805 - Died 1832**

**Beloved wife**

"Well, there's mom and dad," Amy said, pointing to the graves, "but where's Sally?"

"Why wouldn't they be buried with their daughter?" Sam wondered.

"I don't know," Dean said, "but I say we torch these suckers."

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Amy spent the next few hours, taking turns digging up the two graves.

Amy watched as Sam and Dean poured lighter fluid and salt onto the bones. When both bodies were completely doused, Dean pulled out his lighter.

"Sayonara, ghostie," he said as the graves lit up in a fiery inferno.

* * *

As the flames died down, Amy helped Sam and Dean shovel the dirt back into the graves.

"Did that seem too easy?" Amy asked as they walked back to the Impala.

"Definitely," Sam agreed. He took Amy's shovel from her, placing it in the trunk.

"Whatever," Dean said, "point is, the ghost is gone, and we can get out of here by tomorrow morning."

Amy shrugged. "If you say so."

* * *

**October 27th, 2008 - Ortiz Enterprises Hotel**

Amy woke up the next morning to find Sam and Dean sitting at the table, decked out in their FBI disguises, neither of their bags packed.

"Hey," she greeted, "what's going on? I thought we'd be leaving today."

"Well, that was until another body was found in the house," Sam told her.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Megan Torres, Brian and Rebecca's daughter, went to the house last night to collect her parents' belongings. Police found her body this morning."

"See, Dean?" Amy asked. "I told you it seemed too easy."

"Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know anything else would happen?"

"Okay," Amy continued, "so, where is Sally, then?"

"She's gotta be in the house," Sam guessed. "I mean, she died in the house. There's a good chance she was buried in the house as well."

"Sammy and I are gonna go do some questioning," Dean said. "You wanna stay here or come with? It's up to you."

"I'll stay here," Amy decided. "See you guys when you get back. I'm still a little tired, to be honest."

Dean nodded. "Sounds good. "We'll see you in a little bit."

* * *

Sam and Dean left Amy alone in the hotel room. She flopped onto the bed, grabbing the remote to turn on the T.V. She pointed the remote towards the screen as if she was going to turn it on but ultimately ended up dropping it back onto the bed.

Amy sighed. ' _Maybe I should have gone with them_ ,' she thought. ' _I wonder if they're still here_.'

Amy stood up, walking over to the window. She pulled back the blinds, looking out towards the parking lot, only to find the Impala gone.

"Damn it," she muttered to herself. She turned back to the empty room. "Well, now I'm bored. I suppose I could practice my new powers a bit more." She sighed as she realized she was talking to nobody. "Okay, Amy, stop talking to yourself," she said aloud.

* * *

Amy decided to spend the time until Sam and Dean got back practicing what she had recently learned to do. She focused her powers once again on the lower half of her body, trying to will herself to lift off the ground again.

She felt a faint tingling in her legs. Amy focused harder, and the tingling sensation got stronger. The air around her feet seemed to move around, pushing on the bottom of them. She suddenly felt her feet lift off the ground again, but this time, she didn't lose focus. She kept focusing, hovering in the air for a solid twenty seconds before slowly lowering herself back to the ground.

"Well," Amy said with a sigh, "I guess if I was able to do this when I was seven with myself and the other girls at the same time, it makes sense that this is getting easier to do."

"Hello, Amelia," a gruff voice said behind her.

Amy spun around. Standing by the window, was Castiel.

"Cas?" Amy asked. "What are you doing here? Dean's not here if you were looking for him."

"Actually, I was looking for you," Castiel replied.

"Okay," Amy said, nodding with uncertainty, "uh, what's up?"

"I need to know what you know," Cas told her.

Amy looked at Cas, waiting for him to say anything else. "What I know about what?" she asked when he didn't say anything else.

"About this world," Castiel explained, "you know more than the Winchesters do, and even more than you let on. I need to know what that is."

Amy laughed at the angel. "Sorry, angel boy, no can do. Some of those things are deep in the spoiler territory."

"Spoiler territory?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, you know," Amy explained, "a spoiler is something that will happen, usually pretty major, that another person doesn't know about. Usually, something revealing about the plot."

"This is a need-to-know," Castiel explained as he reached his hand towards her head.

Amy knocked Castiel's hand away. "Whatever it is, no, it is most certainly not. Stay out of my head."

Castiel seemed to stare her down, but Amy stood her ground.

"Fine," Cas relented. "But I will be back."

"Knowing you," Amy said, "I'm counting on it."

Cas tilted his head at Amy, before suddenly vanishing, the sound of a flutter of wings indicating his departure.

"Angels," Amy huffed.

* * *

About an hour later, Sam and Dean returned.

"How'd it go?" Amy asked.

"Uh, well, we found out that Megan was the one that was renting the house out for her parents to live in. Turns out that after her parents died, she had begun making arrangements to move in."

"Any sign of Sally while you guys were there?"

"Oh, yeah," Dean replied, "place was spiking with EMF. We're gonna head over tonight to finish the job."

"Sounds good," Amy said. "I actually can't wait to leave now."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed, "so, what did you do while we were gone?"

Amy shrugged. "Practiced my new powers a bit more." To demonstrate, she lifted herself off the ground once more, lying on her stomach in mid-air. "Oh, and Cas showed up," she added as she slowly lowered herself to the ground.

Dean looked up at this, now more interested. "What did he want?"

"He said he needed to know what I knew about this world."

"What did you say?" Sam asked.

"I basically said go away and stay out of my head."

"Do you even remember anything from that show you used to watch anymore?" Dean asked. "I mean, it's gotta be, what? Two or almost three years since you watched it?"

"It hasn't even been two years," Amy corrected. "I met you guys in May last year, remember? But yes, I do actually remember some stuff. My memory is weird like that. I don't remember what I ate for breakfast two days ago, but I can remember the lyrics to the theme song of a T.V. show I haven't watched since I was probably six or seven."

Amy sighed. "I'm not telling you what I remember from the show, but there are some things, like character reveals or major plot points, that I can still remember pretty clearly. Some things in the show are pretty hard to forget, no matter how long it's been."

"Are you ever going to tell us what those things are?" Dean asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nope. But pretty much everything I do know, you'll find out on your own eventually."

"Okay, Dean, look," Sam interrupted, "if she wants to tell us something, she will. But, let's at least leave that up to her. Besides, I'm sure there are things that we aren't supposed to know yet."

Amy nodded. "Right. Thank you, Sam."

Sam smiled. "No problem."

"Get a room, you two," Dean joked. "Alright, make sure you're packed and ready to go by tonight. As soon as this Sally chick is barbequed, we're out of here."

* * *

Amy sat in the back seat of the Impala later that night as Dean drove to the house. Dean parked the Impala in front of the house, and she got out with them.

Sam handed Amy her gun and a few salt rounds, and she followed them up the front steps. Dean picked the lock and opened the door, pushing the police tape up so they could enter.

Amy found herself in a living room as she walked through the front door.

"Okay," Dean said, "spread out. Like find this ghost and gank it."

* * *

Amy walked up to the second floor as Sam and Dean searched downstairs. She walked down the hallway, pushing the door open to find an unfinished nursery. She looked around for a bit, before turning to leave.

As Amy turned out of the room, a little girl appeared behind her. She was a small African-American girl, probably no older than eight, wearing a nineteenth-century style dress. The girl stared up at her with curious eyes.

"Sally?" Amy asked quietly.

The ghost girl nodded. "Have you seen my mommy and daddy?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Sally," Amy said sympathetically, "your mommy and daddy are dead."

"I know," Sally informed her. "My daddy said they would come to find me, but they never showed up."

"I know where they are," Amy told her. "My friends and I, we can take you to them. But I need your help if we're going to do that. Okay?"

Sally nodded.

"Sally, before we do, though, can you tell me why you hurt the family that was living here?"

"I didn't mean to," the little ghost said, "the other families that lived here were nice to me. But those new people started throwing stuff at me, and I got scared."

"Amy?" Sam's voice sounded up the stairs. "You find anything."

"Yeah, I found Sally," Amy called back. "Come on up, but whatever you do, don't shoot."

Sam and Dean ran up the stairs.

"What the hell?" Dean asked when he saw Amy kneeling eye level to the little ghost girl.

"This is Sally," Amy told them, standing up.

"I never thought a murderous ghost could look so cute," Dean muttered.

"She says she didn't mean to kill those people. Apparently, the other people that lived here before the Torres's knew about her and were nice. But the Torres's made her pretty scared."

"I want my mommy and daddy," Sally whined.

"Your mommy and daddy are gone," Sam told her.

"She knows," Amy informed them. "Apparently her dad told her they would come to her, but never showed up after they, you know." She turned to Sally. "Sally, if we're going to get you to your mommy and daddy, we need to know where you're buried. Do you know where that is?"

Sally nodded. Without another word, she grabbed Amy's hand, leading her downstairs.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance before following them down the stairs.

* * *

Sally led Amy to the basement door, leading her down the dark steps.

At the bottom of the steps, Sally let go of Amy's hand. Amy watched as Sally walked over to a section of a wall that had been bricked over.

Dean picked up a crowbar, using it to chip the cement away from the bricks until he could remove them. Once enough bricks were removed, he backed up.

Amy peered into the new hole in the wall. Inside was the skeleton of a child. She backed away, turning to Sally.

"Ready, Sally?" she asked.

Sally nodded. "Thank you," she said.

Amy smiled. "You're welcome, Sally."

"Let's get this over with," Dean said. He doused the bones in lighter fluid and salt, tossing a lighter in once he was done.

The little ghost girl next to Amy burst into flames as her skeleton lit up, and a moment later, she disappeared.

"Well, that was interesting," Amy remarked.

* * *

Amy helped Sam and Dean lay the bricks back in the wall before following them out of the house.

"Okay," she said as they placed their guns in the trunk of the car, "that was by far the nicest ghost I've met."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Yeah. I guess all she wanted were her parents."

"Well, I'm ready to get out of here," Amy said.

Dean pulled the keys out of his pocket. "Me too. Everyone in. We're taking off."

"Alright, already," Amy joked. "So impatient."

Sam laughed along with Amy as they got into the Impala. Amy placed her head on the cold window and closed her eyes as Dean started the ignition, driving away from the house.


	18. Wishful Thinking

**November 3rd, 2008 - Concrete, Washington**

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of Tall Totem Lodge. They had found a case involving a ghost appearing in women's showers, and Dean had been all too happy to check it out.

"Alright, let's go talk to the vic," Dean decided after they had tossed their bags into the room.

Sam stopped him from walking out. "Uh, how about you go check out the fitness center?" he suggested. "Amy and I will go."

Dean looked offended. "What?"

"Dean, you're a little too excited about this case, okay? I think it'll be better if Amy and I go talk to Candace Armstrong. You see if you can find out anything else that can help us."

"Sammy-" Dean started to protest.

"Dean, we have to be professional about this!"

"I am professional!" Dean shouted.

Sam gave his brother a look.

Finally, Dean gave in. "Fine. I'll go check out the showers while you guys talk to Candace."

Amy chuckled slightly at Dean. "So, where are we meeting Candace?" she asked Sam.

"Lucky Chin's Chinese Restaurant," Sam replied. "I told her we were writing a book about encounters like hers. We're meeting her in an hour."

Amy nodded. "Alright. Cool."

* * *

An hour later, Dean reluctantly dropped Sam and Amy off in front of the Chinese restaurant. The two of them walked in and looked around, spotting a woman sitting by herself at a booth.

"Candace Armstrong?" Sam asked, walking up to the woman.

The woman looked up. "Yes, that's me."

"I'm Sam, that's Amy," Sam introduced. Amy waved. "We spoke on the phone?"

Candace nodded. "Yes, I remember. Please, sit down."

Sam and Amy sat down on the bench across from Candace.

"I'm not surprised the spirit world chose to make contact with me," Candace admitted. "I'm something of a... natural sensitive."

Sam nodded. "I can sense that about you, Candace," he said slowly, "that whole... sensitive thing."

Candace smiled. "So, what did you say you're calling your book?"

"Oh, well, um..." Sam tried to think of a title.

"Supernatural," Amy cut in. "It's a working title, but it's the best we've got right now."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We've been crossing the country, gathering stories like yours. But, anyway, you were telling me about your encounter."

"Yes. Well..." Candace sighed, "once I saw the apparition, that's when I started to run."

Amy noticed Sam get distracted by a couple kissing at a booth next to them. She hit him on the arm, bringing his attention back to the reason they were there in the first place.

"And you said the ghost chased you?" Sam asked Candace.

"Not just that. It knew my name," Candace whispered. "It kept yelling, "Mrs. Armstrong! Mrs. Armstrong!" And that's when I hit the stairs and fell."

"I thought you said you were pushed," Amy recalled.

"Oh, I don't – I don't know," Candace admitted. "I mean, I think it did. Maybe."

"Did you feel like it meant to hurt you, like it was violent, or..." Sam asked, trailing off.

Candace scoffed. "It was a ghost. I'm lucky to be alive. Anyway, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and that's when it got weird." She chuckled slightly. "It helped me up."

Sam and Amy looked at each other in confusion. "Say again?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. It helped me up," Candace repeated. "And it kept saying over and over, "Please, don't tell my mom."."

"Yeah, that's weird," Sam agreed.

"Um, was there anything else you might be able to tell us about this... encounter, Mrs. Armstrong?" Amy asked.

Candace shook her head. "No, I think that's it."

Sam closed his notebook. "Okay, well, thank you for your time," he said.

Amy followed Sam out of the restaurant. "Okay, we can both agree that that was weird, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Very weird."

* * *

Sam and Amy walked down the street towards the Fitness Center. When they arrived, Dean was sitting on the steps, reading a newspaper.

"Well, you pick up anything?" Sam asked.

"No EMF in the shower or anywhere else," Dean said. "This house is clean."

"Yeah. I'm not surprised," Sam said, scoffing slightly. "I kind of got the feeling back there that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs."

Dean sighed, standing up. "I got to tell you, I'm pretty disappointed."

Sam let out a breath. "You wanted to save naked women," he said as they started walking towards the car.

"Damn right, I wanted to save some naked women."

Sam chuckled slightly. Rapid footsteps approached, and all three hunters looked up to see some bullies chasing another boy.

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean called after them in a Southern drawl.

Sam let out an amused noise. "Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here."

"So, now what do we-" an argument could be heard on the pier next to them, cutting Amy off.

A ranger was talking to a man who seemed to be getting worked up. "How the hell was I supposed to get a look at it?" the man asked angrily. "It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!"

"Something's going on," Dean muttered. They started walking over.

"Yeah, okay, Gus. I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be," the ranger said, trying to calm the man down. "But don't you think it – don't you think it had to be a bear?"

"I know a damn bear track when I see one!" Gus yelled. "This thing didn't leave bear tracks! Its feet were huge!"

"Now, Gus..."

"It was Bigfoot, Hal!" Gus insisted. "The Bigfoot!"

"Bigfoot?" Amy asked in a whisper. She began to pull out her badge, along with Sam and Dean.

"Gus, you're not talking sense here."

"There's a Bigfoot out there, damn it," Gus continued insisting, "and he's a son of a bitch!"

"Excuse us," Sam interrupted Gus. They flashed their badges. "FBI."

"What?" the ranger asked, studying them.

"Yes, sir. We're here about the... that," Sam said, motioning to Gus.

"About Bigfoot?"

"That's right," Sam said, trying to sound confident. "Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?"

"Yes, I can." Gus pointed behind him. "Just up that trail."

"Thank you." They started walking in the direction Gus had pointed.

* * *

Amy followed behind Sam and Dean as they hiked up the trail.

"What the hell's going on in this town?" Dean asked. "First, there's a ghost that's not real, and now a Bigfoot sighting?"

"Well, every hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax," Sam said.

"So, then what the hell is going on?" Amy asked.

"Maybe somebody's pumping LSD into the town water supply," Dean suggested.

Amy nearly collided with Sam and Dean as they stopped in their tracks. She looked down to see large footprints that led away from the trail.

Okay. What do you suppose made that?" Dean asked.

Sam didn't seem to know what to say. "That, uh ... is a big foot."

"Okay..." Dean trailed off.

They followed the tracks out of the woods, coming up on a liquor store. Muddy footprints led to a wooden door that had been torn off its hinges.

"What the hell?" Amy repeated. She followed Sam and Dean into the store.

"So, what – Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store, jonesing for some hooch?" Dean asked, studying the broken bottles on the ground. "Amaretto and Irish cream," he read. "He's a girl-drink drunk." He took a bottle of something off the shelf, stuffing it into his pocket.

"Hey. Check this out," Sam called them over to the back of the store.

Amy and Dean walked over to him. "He took the whole porno rack?" Dean asked. Sam noticed something between the shelves and pulled it out. It was a massive tuft of fur. "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?"

"Crazy," Amy said decidedly. "Crazy is going on."

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the store, grabbing a bottle of coke from the fridge on the way out. They sat down on a bench right outside, sitting in silence for a while.

"I got nothing," Dean finally said.

"Me either," Amy agreed, opening her drink.

"It's got to be a joke, right?" Sam asked. "Some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit?"

"Or it's a Bigfoot," Dean suggested. "You know, and he's some kind of an alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep-woods doucher-y." Dean looked at Amy. "What do you think?"

Amy sighed. "I'm as lost as you guys."

A little girl rode up on a bike with a basket strapped to the back. A magazine fell off the end, and Dean picked it up, looking at it curiously.

"Why does a little girl have... that?" Amy asked, looking at the porno magazine.

"A little young for busty Asian beauties," Dean said.

They walked around to the back of the liquor store, peering around the corner. The little girl was walking her bike down the trail away from the store. They made their way to the steps to see the crate from the back of the girl's bike. Porno magazines and liquor bottles were inside, along with a note that said, "sorry."

"Come on," Dean whispered.

* * *

They followed the little girl to her house. Her bike sat outside on the front lawn.

"What's this, like a "Harry and the Hendersons" deal?" Dean asked as they walked to the front door. He knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and the little girl appeared. "Hello?"

"Hello!" Sam greeted. "Um, could we ... You know what? Are your parents at home?"

"Nope," the girl declared.

"No," the hunters repeated.

"Um ..." Dean began, "have you seen a really, really furry ..."

"Is he in trouble?" the girl asked.

"What?" Amy asked in confusion. "Is who in trouble?"

"My teddy bear," the girl replied. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think he's sick."

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean. "Wow. Uh ... amazing," Dean began. "'Cause you know what? We ... are, uh... teddy bear doctors," he decided. They pulled out their health inspector badges, showing them to the girl.

"Really?" the girl asked excitedly. "Can you please take a look at him?"

Sam nodded. "Sure."

"Sure. Yeah," Dean agreed.

They followed the little girl into her house. She led them upstairs to a room.

"He's in my bedroom," she told them. "He's pretty grumpy." She knocked on the door. "Teddy? There are some nice doctors here to see you."

The girl opened the door, and Amy had to blink a couple of times to make sure she was seeing things correctly. A giant teddy bear was sitting on the bed inside, watching television and drinking from a bottle.

"Close the friggin' door!" the teddy bear ordered.

The little girl closed the door, turning back to the hunters. "See what I mean?" she asked.

"Uh..." Amy said, trying to think of something to say.

"All I ever wanted was a teddy which was big, real, and talked," the girl explained. "But now he's sad all the time – not "ouch" sad, but ouch-in-the-head sad – says weird stuff, and smells like the bus."

"Um, little girl..." Dean began.

"Audrey!" the girl corrected exasperated.

"Audrey," Dean repeated. "How exactly did your teddy become real?"

"I wished for it," Audrey declared.

"Where did you wish for it?" Amy asked.

"At the wishing well," Audrey explained.

Dean reopened the bedroom door.

"Look at this," the teddy bear said, gesturing to the television. "You believe this crap?"

Dean shook his head. "Not really."

"It is a terrible world." the teddy turned to Dean. "Why am I here?!" it shouted.

"For tea parties!" Audrey yelled.

"Tea parties?" the teddy repeated. "Is that all there is?" it began to cry as gunshots were heard firing on the T.V.

Dean slowly walked out of the room, his eyes wide.

"Audrey, give us a second, okay?" Sam asked. They took a few steps away to talk in private.

"Okay. Are we... should we..." Sam stumbled, trying to find something to say. "Uh, are we gonna kill this teddy bear?"

"How?" Amy asked. "It's not like we can shoot it. It's made of stuffing. I don't even think it has a heart."

"Burn it?" Dean suggested.

"Both?" Sam asked.

"Okay, and when none of those work and we have a giant flaming teddy bear to deal with, then what?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Besides, I get the feeling that the bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here." He turned back to Audrey. "Audrey. Where are your parents?" he asked.

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali," Audrey guessed.

"Okay, well," Sam said, "I'm really sorry to break this to you, but... your bear is sick. Yeah, he's – he's got..." he looked at Dean and Amy, trying to come up with something.

"Lollipop disease," Dean said decisively.

"Lollipop disease," Sam repeated, relieved.

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size," Dean continued. "But, see, it's – it's really contagious."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, so, is there – is there someone, maybe a grown-up, that you can stay with while we treat him?"

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street," Audrey replied.

"Perfect," Dean said.

"Good, yeah, good," Sam agreed. "Uh, we'd like you to stay there for a few days, okay?"

"Okay." Audrey started walking away.

"Oh, and, Audrey?" Dean asked. "Where is this wishing well?"

"At the Lucky Chin's restaurant," Audrey told them.

"Okay," Sam said with a nod. "Thank you."

* * *

Amy followed them out of the house. "Lucky Chin's?" she repeated. "We were just there."

"So, what?" Dean asked. "This town has a wishing well that actually works?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "Should we check it out?"

"Yeah." They got in the Impala, driving towards the restaurant.

* * *

Five minutes later, Dean pulled the Impala up in front of the restaurant. He got out and led them in.

"Think it works?" Dean asked as they approached the well.

Sam scoffed. "Got a better explanation for teddy back there?"

"Well, there's one way to find out," Dean said, pulling out a coin.

"What are you gonna wish for?" Sam asked.

"Shh!" Dean shushed as he tossed the coin in. "Not supposed to tell."

A moment later, the doors to the restaurant opened, and a sandwich delivery guy entered.

"Somebody order a footlong Italian with jalapeño?" the delivery guy called out.

Sam and Dean slowly looked at each other.

"That'd be me," Dean announced, raising his hand. The delivery guy handed Dean the sandwich before leaving.

"Out of every possible thing you could have wished for, you wish for a sandwich?" Amy asked.

Dean led them over to a table, and they sat down. Dean took a bite of his sandwich.

"I think it works, dude," Dean said in between bites. "That was pretty specific."

"The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam listed off.

"Mm. I'm guessing this." Dean pulled out a newspaper, showing an article that read "Local Man Wins $168M Lottery."

"Probably that, too," Amy continued, nodding towards a couple making out at the next table.

"Well, that definitely goes on the list," Dean agreed. "What are we supposed to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? I mean, it sounds like kind of a douchey thing to do."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, maybe. But come on, man. When has something like this ever come without a price tag? And usually a deadly one."

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. It's a damn good sandwich." He took another bite of the sandwich. At Sam's look, he reluctantly put it down. "All right. Fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing till we figure out what's going on."

The restaurant manager walked over to them. "Uh, excuse me," he said. "I'm sorry. We don't allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here," Dean said, his voice raising authoritatively. He started to pull out a badge, starting to open it, before putting the apparently wrong I.D. back. He pulled out the correct I.D., showing it to the manager. "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code 56C."

"Rats?!"

"Yes, rats," Dean repeated confidently. "We need this restaurant cleared and, uh, that fountain drained."

* * *

Five minutes later, Amy stood in front of a drained well inside the empty store. Dean took a broom, sweeping the coins around with it.

"Typical fountain, plaster Buddha," he declared. "Nothing I can see."

"Yes, nothing," the manager agreed. "We keep a clean place here."

Sam turned to him. "Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation, okay? Thank you."

The manager nodded and moved back several steps.

Dean picked up a penny. "Oh, come on. Aren't you a little bit tempted?" He tossed Sam the coin.

Sam chuckled. "No." He handed the coin back. "Wouldn't be real. I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know," Dean said with a shrug. "That bear seemed pretty real." he turned to Amy. "What about you?"

"I don't even know what I would wish for," Amy said, shaking her head.

"Come on," Dean said, nudging his brother, "if you could wish yourself back, you know before it all started... Think about it. You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

"Not what I'd wish for," Sam admitted.

"Seriously?"

"It's too late to go back to our old lives, Dean. I'm not that guy anymore."

"So, what would you wish for?" Amy asked.

"Lilith's head on a plate," Sam declared. "Bloody."

"Okay," Dean said, looking slightly disconcerted. He spotted a large coin in the well. "What is that?" he asked, bending down.

"Some kind of old coin. I don't recognize the markings."

Dean tried to pick the coin up, but it was stuck. "Damn."

"Lift with your legs," Sam joked.

Dean tried again to lift the coin, but it wouldn't budge. "Is that little mother welded on there?" Dean asked. He stood back up. "Okay, I've got some tools in the trunk. Amy, wait here, we'll be right back."

Sam and Dean left the restaurant, coming back in with a crowbar and a hammer. The manager gave them a look that said, "what the hell?" before following them back to the well.

Dean tried using the crowbar to lift the coin.

"Damn, that's stuck on there good," Amy declared.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is this?!" the manager shouted. "You are gonna break my fountain!"

"Sir, I don't want to slap you with a forty-four slash sixteen, but I will," Sam threatened. The manager reluctantly left them alone. "All right, thanks."

"Let me see that," Dean said, gesturing to the hammer Sam was holding. "I got an idea."

Sam handed over the hammer. Dean stuck the crowbar under the coin and lifted the hammer above his head, swinging it down onto the crowbar. Instead of the coin moving, the head of the hammer broke off, flying across the room.

"Ho!" the manager yelled as the head of the hammer landed at his feet.

"Damn!" Dean said, looking at the broken hammer.

"Coin's magical," Sam said decisively.

"No shit, Sherlock," Amy said, rolling her eyes.

"Boy, I'd say," Dean said, tossing the crowbar aside. Sam pulled a piece of paper from his notebook and started tracing the coin. "I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well. I don't think we can destroy this."

Sam handed Dean the tracing of the coin. "All right, here. You two got to look into this."

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"Something just occurred to me," Sam stated before walking away.

Amy and Dean watched Sam leave. Dean chuckled nervously at the manager before clearing his throat.

"Well, it looks like this place is clean," Dean declared. "I'd say it's safe to let people eat here again."

Amy followed Dean out of the restaurant.

"What about the rats?" the manager shouted after them.

* * *

Amy and Dean walked down the street towards the library. Dean led her towards the computers, handing her the tracing.

"See what you can find online," Dean instructed. "I'll see if any books will help."

Dean walked off and Amy sat down at a computer, opening up Google.

Amy began typing anything she could think of that might work into the search bar. _Snake coins_ gave her several collectors archives about ancient coins, many of which seemed to be Babylonian. She erased the search and typed in _Babylonian snake coins_. The first result was a Wikipedia page about a creature named Mushkhushshu. She clicked the link, scrolling through the page. Nothing matched what she was looking for, so she clicked out.

Amy sighed, looking at the tracing again. ' _Maybe it's not a snake_ ,' she thought. She erased the word _snake_ replacing it with _dragon_ , erasing _coins_ as well _._ Enter.

The first result was for Mushkhushshu again, but underneath that, was a Wikipedia article for a goddess named Tiamat. She clicked the link.

"Find anything?" Dean asked, approaching the computer.

"I think so," Amy said indecisively. "I did a search on snake coins. Most were Babylonian so I ran a search on Babylonian snake coins, but none were what we were looking for, so I replaced snake with dragon. I found this article before you came up. Tiamat, the Babylonian dragon goddess."

Amy typed _Babylonian coin Tiamat_ into the search bar. "This is it," she declared, pointing at the screen. "Ancient Babylonian accursed coin."

"Hmm." Dean walked off, coming back a few moments later with some photocopies of something, his face twisted in a strange expression. "Let's go."

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dean replied. "Let's just get to the motel."

* * *

Amy had to practically sprint to keep up with Dean as he hurried towards the motel. He stopped for a moment, clutching his stomach as he doubled over.

"You better run!" a boy yelled. Amy looked up to see the kid who was being chased earlier now chasing the bullies. The boy turned towards them.

"You got a problem?" the boy asked.

"What? No," Dean said, shaking his head.

The boy ran off and Dean groaned, clutching his stomach tighter.

* * *

They reached the motel room. Dean immediately ran into the bathroom. Amy heard a retching noise and screwed up her face.

"Amy?" Dean called out.

"Uh, yeah?"

"The wishes turn bad."

* * *

Five minutes later, Sam entered the room. More retching could be heard in the bathroom and he turned towards the door.

"Dean? You all right?" Sam asked.

"The wishes turn bad, Sam," Dean declared, voice strained. "The wishes turn very bad."

"The sandwich, huh?" Sam asked.

Dean flushed the toilet and walked out of the bathroom. "The coin was Babylonian. It's cursed. Amy figured it out." He turned towards the bathroom, gagging. "I'm good."

Amy turned to Sam. "It's Tiamat," she explained. "The Babylonian god of primordial chaos."

"They made the coin?" Sam asked.

"Seems that way," Amy said. "To sow the seeds of chaos."

"Whoever tosses a coin in the wishing well, makes a wish, it turns on the well," Dean continued. "Then it starts granting wishes to all comers."

"But the wishes get twisted," Sam said, nodding. "You ask for a talking teddy..."

"You get a bipolar nut job," Dean continued.

"And you get _E. coli_."

Dean glared at his brother. He sighed. "This thing has turned more than one town upside down over the centuries. It's even wiped a few off the map. I mean, one person gets their wish, it's trouble, but everybody gets their wish..."

"It's chaos," Sam concluded.

Dean nodded.

"Any way to stop it?"

"Yeah. One way," Dean explained. "We got to find the first wisher. Whoever dropped the coin in and made the first wish, they're the only ones who can pull it back out and reverse the wishes. So for now, we've got a couple of nutso dreams come true, but once the word gets out about the well, things are just gonna get crazier and crazier."

Sam picked up his laptop, moving to the desk. "I'll see if I can dig up anything else on this."

Amy yawned. "I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep. Night guys."

"Night, Amy."

* * *

**November 4th, 2008 - Tall Totem Lodge**

Sam shook Amy awake the next morning.

"What?" Amy asked sleepily.

"Hey, we think we figured out who made the first wish. Get dressed."

Amy sat up, stretching her arms. Within ten minutes they were on the road.

"So, who made the first wish?" Amy asked from the backseat.

"Guy named Wesley Mondale," Sam explained, handing Amy a newspaper. "His surprise engagement to a woman named Hope Lynn Casey was a month ago."

"Wow," Amy said sarcastically, handing the paper back, "true love."

* * *

Dean pulled up in front of a house. Amy followed them up the front steps and Dean rang the doorbell.

A moment later, a woman opened the door. "Yes?"

"Hi!" Sam greeted. "Are you Hope Casey?"

Hope nodded. Before Sam could say anything else, she gasped. "You're the florists!" she decided.

"Uh, yes," Amy said. Sam and Dean nodded in agreement. "We're here about the wedding."

Hope led them into the house. A man was inside, sitting in an armchair. "Wes! You didn't tell me that you called the florists for the wedding," Hope said with a smile.

"Huh?" Wes asked, confused.

"You're the best!" Hope kissed Wes on his forehead. "I'm gonna go get my folders."

"Uh, o- Okay," Wes said as Hope walked out of the room.

"Wesley, how's it going?" Dean asked.

"It's "Wes..." Wes began to correct, standing up. Dean took a step forward, and Wes sat back down. "...ss." Aren't you the guys from the health department?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "And florists on the side."

"Plus FBI," Dean continued.

"And teddy bear doctors," Amy finished.

"Huh?" Wes asked.

"It doesn't matter who we are," Dean said sternly. "What matters is what we know."

Sam nodded towards a coin display in the corner. "So, coin collector, huh, Wes?"

"Oh. Yeah. My," Wesley paused, looking distraught, "grandfather gave them to me."

"Looks like a coin is missing," Amy stated, gesturing to an empty slot.

"You didn't happen to lose it, did you, Wes?" Dean asked. "And by "lose," I mean drop into a wishing well at Lucky Chin's and make a wish on it?"

"No, I – I don't know what you're, uh, talking about," Wes denied.

Hope reentered the room, carrying several folders. "Okay, now. I have a lot of ideas, but, you know, we don't have all the money in the world," she told them. "Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me." Hope smiled. "You know, I'm thinking of a Japanese-y ikebana kind of thing."

Dean smiled. "Yes. I can see it."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "So, Hope, uh, tell us how you two lovebirds met."

Hope sighed dreamily. "Oh, the best day of my life."

"I bet," Dean said.

Hope smiled. "Yeah! It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here, but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway. Until one day last month, it was like I just," she sighed, "I just saw him for the first time. He was just... glowing. Oh, just glowing."

"Uh, babe, can you – can you get us some coffee?" Wes asked.

"Yes. Yeah," Hope nodded.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Mm-Hmm. Okay. Oh, okay. Oh. Mm-mmm, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay," Wes said as he was repeatedly kissed by Hope.

"Yeah." Hope nodded as she finally left the room.

"Wes, we know," Sam said firmly. "So tell us the truth."

"My – my grandfather found the coin in north Africa, you know, World War II," Wes explained reluctantly. He took the coin display off the wall, showing it to the hunters. "And, uh, he brought it back. He, um, he said it was a real wish-granting coin, but that nobody should ever use it. Um... It was all I had, and when he died, I thought, "Well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?"?"

"So you decided to wish for someone to fall in love with you?" Amy asked, crossing her arms.

"Not just any someone," Wes declared. "Hope."

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna wish it back," Sam said.

"Oh." Wes chuckled slightly. "Oh. Haha, no, I'm not."

"If you don't stop it, something bad's gonna happen," Dean stated.

"But, knowing how quickly wishes have been turning," Amy continued, "I'd bet your wish already has."

"We really wish you'd come with us," Dean said, pulling out his gun.

Wes gulped. "Hope?" he called out.

Almost immediately, Hope came around the corner. "Yes, Wes?"

"I have to leave for a bit," Wes said. "But I'll be back."

"Yes, Wes." Hope pulled Wes into a long kiss.

When Wes finally broke free, they walked out to the car. Wes sat in the backseat next to Amy, his head resting against the top of the seat.

"I don't get it," Wes declared. "So, my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?"

"Because the wishes go south, Wes," Sam stated. "Your town is going insane."

"Come on. You're gonna sit there and tell me that your relationship with Hope is functional, that it's what you wished for?" Dean asked.

"I wished she would love me more than anything," Wes told them.

"Oh yeah," Amy said sarcastically, "that sounds like a great wish. How's it working out for you?"

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive," Wes stated, leaning forward.

"You're not supposed to get what you want, man, not like this," Dean said, his voice rising. "Nobody is. That's what the coin does."

Wes sighed, leaning back against the seat again.

"It takes your heart's desires and it twists it back on you," Dean continued. "You hear of the whole, uh, "be careful what you wish for"?"

Amy reached for something to grab onto out of reflex as a loud thud was heard and the Impala seemed to drive over something. She looked behind them but didn't see anything.

"Did we just hit something?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I didn't see anything."

"Careful what you wish for," Wes mocked. "You know who says that? Good-looking jerks like you guys, the ones who've got it so easy because you happen to be handsome."

"Easy?" The hunters repeated simultaneously.

Wes nodded. "Yeah. Women – women look at you, right? They notice you."

Sam scoffed. "Believe us, we do not have it easy."

"We are miserable," Dean corrected. "We never get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got."

"But you know what?" Sam asked angrily. "Maybe that's the whole point, Wes."

"People are miserable," Amy added.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "they're miserable bastards 'cause they never get what they really want."

Sam nodded. "Right, yeah, you get what you want, you get crazy."

"Take a look at Michael Jackson, hmm? Or Hasselhoff," Dean said.

Wes scoffed. "You know what? Hope loves me now – completely. And it's awesome." He gestured around the car. "Besides, look around. Where's all this, uh, insanity you guys were talking about?"

As soon as he said that, Dean pulled the Impala up next to a large van. The bullies from earlier were locked in, screaming in terror as the boy they had been chasing lifted the van like it was nothing.

"Well, that should cover it," Dean declared as they stared in shock while the boy tipped the van completely onto its side.

"That crazy enough for you, Wes?" Amy asked.

"Kneel before Todd! Kneel before Todd!" the boy shouted.

Dean quickly got out of the Impala as Todd started to rock the van back and forth. "Alright. I'll handle Todd. You guys get Wes to Lucky Chin's. Go!" He slammed the door shut.

Sam slid over to the driver's side. "Right."

"What the hell?" Wes asked as he leaned forward across the front seat, mouth agape at the sight outside.

"Like we said," Amy repeated, "crazy."

* * *

Five minutes later, Sam parked the Impala outside the Chinese restaurant.

"That – that – that kid turned over that car like – like it was nothing," Wes stuttered as he got out.

"You should have seen the teddy bear," Sam said with a scoff. "Now, come on. Fun's over. Time to pull the coin." Wes didn't move. "Wes!"

"Well, why can't we just get what we want?!" Wes yelled.

"Because the real world doesn't work that way!" Amy yelled.

"Because that's life, Wes," Sam said at the same time.

Amy suddenly felt an excruciating pain run through her entire body. She tried to move away, but couldn't. A brief moment later, her vision went black.

* * *

Amy didn't know how long she was out. Some time passed before she finally reopened her eyes. Amy looked over at Sam, who was also lying on the sidewalk next to her.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"I think so," Amy said with uncertainty. "What happened? My whole body feels weird."

Sam looked around. "I think we died."

Amy didn't know how to respond.

Sam helped Amy up. A few moments later, Hope walked out of the restaurant, looking confused as she walked away.

Wes came out of the restaurant, reluctantly handing the coin over to Sam. After a silent nod, he walked away.

"So, the wishes should start going away now, right?" Amy asked.

"Hopefully, yeah," Sam agreed. He flipped the coin around in his hand. "Guess we should melt this thing down so no one can use it again."

The two of them got into the Impala and drove off. Sam called Dean on his cell.

"Dean?" There was a pause. "Hey, listen, we got the coin. Amy and I are on our way to melt it down now. Meet us at the pier."

"Where are we gonna melt a coin?" Amy asked. "And how?"

"You'll see."

Sam drove them back to the motel. They got out and Sam opened the trunk, pulling out a blowtorch.

"Of course there's a blowtorch in the trunk of the Impala." Amy sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

It took several long minutes, along with Sam and Amy taking turns holding the blowtorch over the coin, but they finally got it melted down enough that it wasn't even recognizable as a coin.

"Well that took forever," Amy commented.

Sam laughed. "Tell me about it." He tried to pick the melted coin up, but it was already stuck to the ground.

"Leave it," Amy declared. "It's not like anyone can use it now anyway."

* * *

Sam drove the Impala to the pier with Amy in the passenger seat. When they arrived, Dean was sitting on a bench, reading the paper. Audrey walked by with her parents, who were severely sunburnt, and her now normal-sized teddy bear, which had a huge hole in the back of its head.

"Well, uh, the coin's melted down," Sam informed Dean. "It shouldn't cause any more problems."

"Audrey's parents are back from Bali," Dean noted, folding up the paper. "Looks like all the wishes are gone. And so are we."

Amy started to follow the Winchesters to the car. After a moment though, Dean stopped.

"Hang on a second," Dean said, stopping his brother.

"What?" Sam asked.

Dean hesitated before answering. "You were right," he stated.

"About what?" Sam asked, confused.

"I shouldn't have lied to you. I do remember everything that happened to me in the Pit. Everything," Dean admitted.

Amy let out a shaky breath and looked down, unsure of how to respond. She had no idea what hell was like, but anyone knew it wasn't sunshine and rainbows.

Sam sighed. "So tell me about it," he said quietly.

Dean shook his head. "No."

Sam looked at his brother in confusion. "Uh..."

Dean cut Sam off. "I won't lie anymore. But I'm not gonna talk about it."

Sam sighed. "Dean, look, you can't just shoulder this thing alone. You got to let me help."

"How?" Dean asked. "Do you really think that a little heart-to-heart, some sharing and caring, is gonna change anything? Hmm? Somehow... heal me? I'm not talking about a bad day here."

"I know that," Sam replied.

"The things that I saw... there aren't words. There is no forgetting," Dean said shakily. "There's no making it better. Because it is right here," he tapped his head, "forever. You wouldn't understand. And I could never make you understand. So I am sorry."

Dean ended the conversation there, getting into the car. Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before quietly getting in as well. Without a word, Dean started the engine and pulled away, looking distraught as he stared out at the road ahead.


	19. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**November 8th, 2008 - Crown Hotel**

Sam and Dean had left Amy alone in their motel while they went to the bar. Amy had wanted to go with, but being only eighteen, they had told her to stay in the room.

The Winchesters had been gone a long time, and it was getting pretty late. Amy glanced at the clock, which read ten p.m. She sighed, wanting to fall asleep, but she had been instructed to stay awake in case the Winchesters needed to be let in.

* * *

Amy jolted awake as someone pounded on the door. She rolled over, looking at the clock. It was just after one in the morning.

"Crap," Amy said, rolling off the bed as either Sam or Dean knocked on the door again. "Coming!" she called out. She opened the door to find Sam and Dean standing outside. "Sorry," the girl muttered, "I must have dozed off."

Dean stormed into the room, brushing past Amy.

"Hey, I said I was sorry," Amy called after him.

"It's not you," Sam assured her.

"Oh," Amy muttered. "Did something happen at the bar?"

Amy's question was answered as Dean spun around to face them. "I cannot believe you'd rather listen to Ruby about this!" he shouted.

"Ruby?" Amy asked, shutting the door. "Okay, now I'm lost."

"Ruby showed up at the bar," Dean explained angrily. "Told us about a girl named Anna Milton who escaped from a psych ward, and Sam thinks we should listen to her."

"Anna Milton?" Amy asked, trying to remember who that was. Suddenly, she remembered. "Oh, Anna!" she recalled excitedly. "I'm sorry, Dean. Normally I'd be against listening to Ruby, but this time, I really think you should. Anna Milton is a girl that can..." Amy paused, not wanting to tell the brothers that Anna was an angel who had fallen. "...she can hear angels," she finally concluded.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked at the same time, glaring at the young girl.

Amy nodded. "I remember this episode pretty clearly. Anna started hearing angels a few months ago."

"How come-"

Sam was cut off by Amy holding up her hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there," she stated. "I'm not gonna say why Anna can hear the angels, just that she can. And that she's important."

Dean made a frustrated sound. "Fine, we'll go check out the tip that the freaking demon left for us!"

He grabbed his bag roughly by the handle and walked out the door. Sam and Amy grabbed their bags as well, following Dean to the car.

* * *

"So, where is Anna supposed to be?" Amy asked as Dean drove down the highway.

"Connor Beverly Behavior Medical Center," Sam replied. "It's in Ohio."

"Yeah, which is a three-day drive," Dean grumbled.

Sam shook his head, pulling out his phone. He dialed a number.

"Hi, this is Doctor Donovan from Connor Beverly Behavior Medical Center," Sam said authoritatively after a moment. "I'm calling about a girl who was reported missing recently. Anna Milton." There was a pause. "Can I get a copy of the missing persons' report?" Another pause. "Great. Okay. Thanks."

Sam hung up the phone. "Well, Anna Milton's definitely real," he stated.

"Don't mean the case is real," Dean grumbled. "And this hospital's a three-day drive," he repeated.

"Anna is real, Dean," Amy insisted.

"Besides, we've driven further for less."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"You got something to say, say it," Sam snapped.

"Oh, I'm saying it," Dean said, "this sucks."

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl. You're pissed Ruby threw us the tip," Sam declared.

Dean scoffed. "Right. 'Cause as far as you're concerned, the hell-bitch is practically family. Yeah, boy, something major must've happened while I downstairs, 'cause I come back, and - and you're BFF with a demon?"

"I told you, Dean, she helped me go after Lilith," Sam argued.

"Well, thanks for the thumbnail. Real vivid," Dean snarked. "You want to fill in a little detail?"

"Sure, Dean, let's trade stories," Sam snapped. "You first. How was Hell? Don't spare the details."

Amy sank further into her seat, trying to avoid the thick tension that filled the air.

* * *

**November 10th, 2008 - Omaha, Nebraska**

They had been driving for two days. Amy had been sleeping in the backseat while Sam and Dean took turns driving the Impala. They hadn't stopped once to stay in a motel and had only had mini-mart breakfast burritos to eat. Amy was sore, tired, and hungry.

On the second day of driving, Amy leaned forward across the front seat. "Dean, we've been driving for two days straight. Can we please stop? I'm hungry."

Dean tossed her a sandwich. "Go nuts."

"Dean, come on, man!" Sam yelled exasperated. "You're exhausted, don't try and tell me you're not. I can see it in your eyes. Let's just stop somewhere for the night. We need to get some actual sleep."

"Alright, fine," Dean caved, "we'll stop."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Dean pulled into the parking lot of Savory Suites Hotel. Amy groaned as she got out of the Impala, finally stretching her stiff legs.

They checked into their room and made their way inside. Amy immediately threw herself onto the soft mattress, letting her head sink into the pillow.

"I still don't understand why this Anna chick is so damn important," Dean muttered.

"I told you," Amy said, sitting up, "she's basically tapping into angel radio."

"Angel radio?" Sam asked.

Amy shrugged. "You guys came up with it, I'm just repeating it. But, yes, Anna is important."

"And yet, you still won't tell us why," Dean said.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you," Amy replied.

"Try me!"

"You'll find out soon enough, Dean," Amy insisted. "I just need you to trust me. Please."

Dean grumbled angrily before sitting down at the table. "You better be right about this."

* * *

**November 11th, 2008 - Toledo, Ohio**

After getting some much-needed sleep, they were back on the road. Several hours later, Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of Blue Rose Motel.

Sam checked them into the room, and they made their way in.

"I already called the hospital," Sam informed them. "Told them we'd be in tomorrow to talk with them about Anna's disappearance."

"Sounds good," Amy said, stretching out onto her bed.

* * *

**November 12th, 2008**

The next day, Dean drove them to the hospital.

"I'm afraid there's not much I can tell you," the psychologist informed them as she led them down the hallway towards Anna's room. "Of course, I want to help, however I can."

"Now, the orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape?" Sam asked.

The psychologist nodded. "Apparently, she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia. He doesn't even remember coming into her room."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her."

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door."

"How recently was Anna administered?" Amy asked.

"Two months ago," the psychologist replied. "Before that, she was happy, well-adjusted, journalism major, lots of friends - bright future."

"So, what happened," Dean asked, "she just... flipped?"

The psychologist shrugged. "Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia. Within weeks, Anna was overtaken by delusions."

"What kind of delusions?"

"She thought demons were everywhere." The psychologist handed Sam a sketchbook.

"Interesting," Dean noted

"It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real."

"Well, that, that's just batty," Dean joked.

Sam flipped through the sketchbook. Sketches of a church window were on the first few pages. He flipped to the next page, where 'Rising of the Witnesses' was written above a drawing of one of the little ghost girls from that day.

"What the...?" Amy muttered.

The hunters exchanged a look before Sam flipped to the next page. On it was written 'Samhain the next seal is broken' above a closeup sketch of the demon they had hunted not long ago.

"That's Revelations," Dean said. Sam nodded.

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack-o'-lanterns?" the psychologist asked.

"It's a, uh, it's a little-known translation," Dean informed her.

The psychologist nodded. "Well, Anna's father was a church deacon. When she became ill, her paranoia took on religious overtones. She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world. I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

"Don't worry," Sam assured the woman. "We will."

"You wouldn't happen to have Anna's home address, would you?" Dean asked. "That might be a good place for us to start our investigation."

The psychologist nodded. "Follow me."

* * *

After obtaining Anna's address, Dean drove them to the house. Amy flipped through the sketchbook on the way.

"So, Anna knows about the seals?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "Like I said, she can hear the angels. Pretty good chance the seals are all the angels are talking about."

* * *

Dean pulled up in front of the Milton house. He led them up the front porch and knocked on the door.

No one answered.

"Maybe they're not home," Dean guessed.

"Both cars in the driveway," Sam said, pointing to two white cars that sat next to them.

Dean tried the door handle, and the door swung open. Amy followed Sam and Dean inside.

"Mr. And Mrs. Milton?" Dean called out.

"We're from the sheriff's department," We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions."

Amy stopped in her tracks as she came across two bodies lying on the floor, blood pooling around their heads. "Found them," she groaned.

Sam sighed. "Great." He knelt down, putting his fingers in a yellow powder by the bodies. "Sulfur," he informed them. "The demons beat us here. Looks like this Anna girl is as important as Amy says."

"Yeah, they want her," Dean agreed. "They're not screwing around. All right, so, I'm Girl, Interrupted," Dean pondered, picking up some unopened letters, "and I know the score of the apocalypse, just busted out of the nut-box... possibly using superpowers, by the way. Where do I go?"

"Well, the psychologist said she was religious, right?" Amy asked. "And she says demons are after her." She flipped through the sketchbook, turning to one of the window sketches.

"If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to feel safe?" Sam asked.

"A church," Amy replied. "I think she was drawing a church window in these. That might be where she went."

Dean shrugged. "Let's go to church."

* * *

They drove around town, looking for the church where Anna might have been hiding.

"There it is," Amy said, pointing out a steeple that was hiding behind some trees.

Dean pulled the Impala up in front of the church.

"Think she's here?" Sam asked.

"She's gotta be," Amy said. "I can't think of any other place she would have gone besides her house."

"Alright, grab your guns," Dean instructed.

Amy made sure her pistol was loaded and followed Sam and Dean inside.

Amy quietly followed Sam and Dean upstairs, their guns drawn. They reached the attic, and a figure could be seen hiding behind some stained glass.

"Dean, Amy," Sam whispered, pointing his gun towards the glass.

"Anna?" Amy called out, putting away her gun. "We're not gonna hurt you. We're here to help."

"My name is Sam," Sam informed her. "This is my brother, Dean, and this is Amy."

"Sam?" Anna asked cautiously. "Not Sam Winchester?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a confused glance. "Uh, yeah."

Anna stepped out from behind the glass. "And you're Dean. The Dean?"

"Well, yeah. The Dean, I guess," Dean replied, still confused.

Anna looked at Amy next. "That must make you Amy," she concluded. "Formerly known as Emily."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, that - that's me."

"It's really you," Anna gasped. "Oh, my god." Anna started walking towards them. "The angels talk about you. You were in Hell, but Castiel pulled you out, and some of them think you can help save us," she said quickly. Anna turned to Sam and Amy. "And some of them don't like you two at all."

"They talk about you all the time lately," Anna continued. "I feel like I know you."

"So, you talk to angels?" Dean asked.

"Oh, no. No, no way," Anna replied, shaking her head. "Um, they probably don't even know I exist. I just kind of... overhear them."

"You overhear them?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they talk, and sometimes I just... hear them in my head."

"Angel radio," Amy said.

"Exactly," Anna said with a nod.

"Can you hear them right now?" Dean asked.

Anna shook her head. "Not right this second, but a lot. And I can't shut them out, there are so many of them."

Dean nodded. "So, they lock you up with a case of the crazies when really you were just... tuning in to, as Amy said, angel radio?" he asked.

"Yes," Anna said, sighing in relief. "Thank you."

"Anna, when did the voices start? Do you remember?" Sam asked.

"I can tell you exactly - September 18th," Anna informed them.

"That's the day-"

"-I got out of Hell," Dean finished Amy's statement.

Anna nodded. "First words I heard, clear as a bell - 'Dean Winchester is saved.'."

"What do you think?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam scoffed. "It's above my pay grade, man."

"Well, at least now we know why the demons want you so bad," Dean informed Anna. "They get a hold of you, they can hear everything the other side's cooking. You're one nine-hundred angel."

Anna smiled at the joke. "Hey, um, do you know - are my parents okay? I - I didn't go home. I was afraid."

"Anna..." Amy began.

Before Amy could continue, Ruby rushed into the room. "You got the girl. Good, let's go," the demon yelled.

"Ruby?" Amy asked.

At the same time, Anna pointed at the demon, shrieking in terror. "Her face!"

"It's okay. She's here to help," Sam informed the angel.

"Yeah, don't be so sure," Dean replied.

"We have to hurry," Ruby snapped.

"Why?"

"Because a demon's coming," Ruby explained, "big-timer. We can fight later, Dean."

Amy scoffed.

"Well, that's pretty convenient," Dean snapped, "showing up right when we find the girl with some bigwig on your tail?"

"I didn't bring him here. You did," Ruby snapped back.

"What?" Dean and Amy asked simultaneously.

"He followed you from the girl's house," Ruby informed them. "We got to go now."

"Guys," Sam said, pointing in the corner.

Amy looked where Sam was pointing to see a statue bleeding from the eyes.

"Crap," Amy hissed.

"It's too late. He's here," Ruby informed them.

Amy grabbed Anna's arm. "Come on." She led the angel to a closet. "You'll be safe in here."

"Okay," Anna said with a nod. "Thank you."

Amy rejoined the Winchesters as Sam pulled out a flask of holy water.

"Sam, we don't have time for that," Amy told him.

"Sam, you gotta pull him right away," Ruby said at the same time.

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Dean said, holding up a hand.

Ruby glared at the hunter. "Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going dark side. He does his thing, he exorcises that demon, or we die."

"And what if he can't," Amy yelled. "We might not have time for Sam to..."

Amy was cut off as the door was flung open, and a balding man entered the room. He approached them, running a hand along the banister, casually wiping off the dust. Sam put the flask away and held out his hand, closing his eyes.

The demon pretended to choke a little, before smiling. "That tickles," he sneered. "You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam."

With a flick of his wrist, the demon threw Sam down the stairs. Dean pulled out Ruby's knife and lunged at the demon.

Before Amy knew it, the demon was winning, pinning Dean to the pillar.

"Hello again, Dean," the demon said.

Amy's attention was drawn to Anna's screams as Ruby pulled her from the closet.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked Ruby.

"Getting her somewhere safe," Ruby informed her.

"Alastair," Dean spat, drawing Amy's attention back to them.

Sam jammed Ruby's knife into the demon's back, and he dropped Dean. The demon turned to Sam, a grin on his face. He reached towards the knife.

"You're gonna have to try a whole lot harder than that, son," the demon sneered.

Amy raised her hand, using her powers to twist the knife around. Alastair groaned and yelled in pain.

Sam nudged Dean, nodding his head towards a large stained glass window.

"Amy, let's go," Dean yelled.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Amy said in disbelief as Sam and Dean began running towards the window.

Amy hesitated a moment before following Sam and Dean to the window. She leapt out the broken window, falling towards the ground instantly.

Sam and Dean were already on the ground by the time Amy jumped. Not wanting to break any bones, the young girl did the first thing she could think of and used her powers to slow herself down before hitting the ground. She quickly ran to the Impala after Sam and Dean, barely having any time to close the door before Dean sped off.

"Everyone okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied before letting out a pained groan. "Less okay."

"I'm fine, too," Amy said, reaching up to touch a cut on her forehead. "Ruby has Anna, though," she reminded them.

"Ruby'll protect her," Sam said, his voice too tired to argue.

Dean didn't reply.

* * *

**Blue Rose Motel**

Dean sped back to the motel using only one hand. Sam had a gash on his left arm from the broken glass. He pulled out a fishing hook and some thread, using them to stitch himself up. Amy grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, wetting it under the sink before pressing it to her cut.

Sam let out a pained breath as he dug the hook and thread through his skin.

"Are you almost done?" Dean asked his brother.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Sam snapped.

"Good, 'cause you know I got a dislocated shoulder over here," Dean reminded Sam as he picked up a bottle of whiskey and took a drink. "You okay, Amy?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Amy replied. "Just got a cut. Don't think I need stitches, though."

"Yeah. I'll pop it back when I'm finished," Sam called back. He pointed to the bottle of whiskey. "Gimme that."

Dean handed over the bottle, and Sam poured it on his cut, groaning in pain as the alcohol hit the wound.

"So, you lost the magic knife, huh?" Dean asked, bracing himself on the bed as Sam walked over.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, saving your ass. Who the hell was that demon?"

Dean shook his head. "No one good. We got to find Anna."

"Ruby's got her," Sam reminded his brother. "I'm sure she's okay." Sam placed his hands on his brother's dislocated shoulder. "All right. Come on. On three. One..." without counting any higher, Sam forced his brother's shoulder back into place.

Dean cried out in pain and surprise. "Are you sure about Ruby?" he asked. "'Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon in to kill us."

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe," Sam said, walking over to Amy. "Let me see that cut," he said.

Amy pulled the washcloth away, letting Sam examine her wound.

"You should be fine," Sam told her. "It doesn't look deep enough to need stitches."

Amy nodded, pressing the washcloth back onto the cut.

"Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?" Dean argued.

"Because that demon is probably watching us right now, waiting to follow us right back to Anna again," Sam snapped. "That's why he let us go."

"You call this letting us go?" Dean asked as he began to salt the windows and doors.

"We got away, didn't we?" Amy asked

"Killing us would've been no problem to that thing," Sam agreed. "That's why, for now, we just gotta lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."

"How's she gonna do that?" Dean asked. He paused, watching Sam pick up the whiskey and take a drink. "Why do you trust her so much?"

"I told you," Sam stated.

"You got to do better than that." Sam turned around. "Hey, and I'm not trying to pick a fight here," Dean continued. "I mean, I really want to understand. But I need to know more. I mean, I deserve to know more."

Sam took a deep breath. "Because... she saved my life," he admitted.

"How?" Amy asked.

Sam let out a heavy sigh before beginning his story. He explained how not long after Dean had died, Ruby had found him in a motel room and saved him from another demon. He recounted how Ruby had taken an empty vessel, a coma patient, and had taught Sam how to use his powers to exorcise demons.

Sam continued on as the sun began setting. He told them about how crappy of a student he had been and how many times he had failed to exorcise demons. He then began to ramble on, telling them about the sex he and Ruby had.

"Sam?" Dean interrupted as Amy stared awkwardly ahead.

Sam snapped back to reality. "Yeah?"

"Too much information," Dean said uncomfortably.

"Hey, I told you I was coming clean," Sam defended.

"Okay, but we didn't need you to come that clean," Amy emphasized.

Dean cleared his throat. "Okay, well, so far, all you've told me about is a manipulative bitch who, uh, screwed you, played mind games with you, and did everything in the book to get you to go bad."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Yeah, well, there's more to the story."

"Just... skip the nudity," Dean requested.

"Please," Amy added.

Sam sighed. "Pretty soon after... that, um... I put together some signs... omens."

"Omens?" Amy asked. "For what?"

"Lilith was in town," Sam explained. "And I wanted to strike her first."

Sam continued his story, telling them how Ruby had argued against him going after Lilith alone. He told them how, after arguing with the demon, Sam had gone off alone anyway, only to find himself in a trap.

"Ruby came back for me," Sam finished. "Whatever you have to say, she saved me. More than that, she got through to me. What she said to me... it's what you would've said. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here."

No one said anything for several minutes. Dean sat there, taking in what Sam had just told them, while Amy watched, not knowing how to respond.

The silence was broken by a loud knock at the door.

"Housekeeping," a woman's voice called out.

"Not now!" Dean shouted, rolling his eyes.

"Sir, I've got clean towels," the maid insisted.

Dean opened the door in a huff. "Couldn't you just leave 'em at the door?"

The maid ignored him, handing him a stack of towels before walking to the window and closing the blind. She gave Sam a slip of paper. "I'm at this address."

Sam looked at the note, confusion flashing in his eyes. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Go now," the maid instructed, ignoring the question. She pointed towards the bathroom. "Go through the bathroom window, don't stop, don't take your car, don't pass go. There are demons in the hallway and in the parking lot."

Sam finally seemed to get it, staring at the demon in shock. "Ruby?"

Ruby huffed. "Okay, yes, so I'm possessing this maid for a hot minute. Sue me," she snapped.

"What about-"

"Coma girl?" Ruby interrupted. "Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna, so I've got to hurry back. See you when you get there."

No one moved. Sam looked back and forth between Dean, Amy, and Ruby as if unsure of what to do.

"Go!" Ruby snapped before hurrying out of the room.

Sam pocketed the note. "We better get going.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean said, stopping his brother. "We're just gonna listen to Ruby?"

"She has Anna, Dean," Sam reminded him.

"How do we know we're not just walking into a trap?" Dean asked. "Anna could be dead already."

"Why would Ruby risk coming here just to drag us into a trap?" Amy spoke up. "Anna is alive. But we might not have a lot of time before any of those demons out there get in here."

"Alright, fine!" Dean snapped. "You guys wanna trust Ruby so much? Let's get going."

Dean grabbed his duffle bag, and the three hunters made their way into the bathroom. Sam opened the window, sticking his head out to make sure the coast was clear.

"All clear," he informed them before quietly crawling through. After he was through, Sam turned back to them. "Alright, Amy, you next."

Amy swung her leg through the window, taking Sam's hand as he helped her through. Dean crawled out last, shutting the window behind him.

"Let's get going before any of those demons notices we're missing."

They walked down the street a few miles towards the address Ruby had given them.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a small wooden cabin.

"Anna better be in there," Dean growled, "alive."

"She will be," Sam insisted.

Sam led them to the wooden door, pushing it open.

"Glad you could make it," Ruby greeted as they walked inside the dark building. Anna was sitting on a couch against the wall.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, thanks." He looked over at Anna. "Anna, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so," Anna replied. She smiled. "Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life."

"Yeah, I hear she does that," Dean acknowledged. "I guess I...you know," he began.

Ruby crossed her arms. "What?"

"I guess I owe you for... Sam," Dean continued, stumbling over his words. "And I just wanted... you know..."

"Don't strain yourself," Ruby smirked.

"Okay, then," Dean said with a nod. "Is the moment over?

Ruby sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Good, 'cause that was awkward."

"That was even more awkward to watch," Amy said with a laugh.

"Hey, Sam, you think it'd be safe to make a quick call, just to tell my parents I'm okay?" Anna asked quietly. "They must be completely freaked."

"Uh..." Sam began.

"What?"

"Anna," Amy said, "I'm so sorry." She sat on the couch next to the angel. "Your parents...we went to see if you were at your house before we found you at the church and...your parents-"

"What about them?" Anna asked.

"I'm sorry, Anna," Amy whispered.

Anna finally seemed to get what Amy was implying. "No, they're not..."

"Anna, I'm sorry," Sam apologized.

"Why is this happening to me?" Anna began sobbing.

"I don't know," Sam admitted.

Anna suddenly cried out in agony as she put her hands on her head. "They're coming," she whimpered.

The lights started flickering. "Backroom," Dean instructed.

Sam hid Anna in the back room.

Amy grabbed her shotgun, making sure it was loaded with as many rounds as possible.

"Where's the knife?" Ruby asked as she dug through Dean's duffle bag.

"Alastair has it," Amy informed the demon. "We had to jump out the church window while it was lodged in his back."

"You're kidding," Ruby said in disbelief.

"Hey, don't look at me," Dean said with a smirk.

"Or me," Amy added.

"Thanks a lot, guys," Sam snapped.

Dean grinned.

"Great," Ruby replied sarcastically. "Just peachy. Impeccable timing, guys, really."

Before anyone could do anything else, the door burst off its hinges. A moment later, Castiel and Uriel walked in.

"Please tell me you're here to help," Dean pleaded. "We've been having demon issues all day."

"Well, I can see that," Uriel replied. "Do you want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"

"We're here for Anna," Castiel said bluntly.

"Well, you're not getting her," Amy snapped, raising her gun.

"Stop talking. Give her to us," Uriel snapped.

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam asked.

"No, she has to die," Castiel informed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Amy asked.

"You want Anna?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Out of the way," Uriel growled, stepping forward.

"How about no?" Amy asked threateningly.

Dean put a hand up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle," Uriel sneered.

Dean chuckled. "You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Castiel stated. "And?"

"And?" Sam cried out in disbelief. "Anna's an innocent girl."

"She is far from innocent," Castiel snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been screwing," Uriel yelled. "Now, give us the girl."

"Not happening," Amy insisted.

"Get yourself another one. Try JDate," Dean joked.

"Who's gonna stop us?" Uriel asked. "You three? Or this demon whore?" Uriel threw Ruby against the wall. Dean lunged at the angel.

"Cas, stop...please," Sam pleaded.

Castiel didn't reply as he placed a hand on Sam's forehead, and Sam fell to the ground.

Amy lunged at Uriel, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as the angel punched Dean in the face.

Uriel threw Amy off of him effortlessly.

"I've been waiting for this," the angel sneered.

Amy moved to attack again as Dean got to his feet. Before she or Dean could do anything, a bright light filled the room. When it was gone, Castiel and Uriel had vanished.

"What the..." Dean started to ask as he helped Ruby to her feet.

"Angel banishing sigil," Amy informed them, remembering it from the show. "Anna must have done something."

Sam started to stir on the floor, and Ruby knelt down by him. Amy and Dean ran into the backroom to find Anna, her arms and hands covered in blood.

"Anna. Anna!" Dean cried out at the sight.

"Dean," Amy said, pointing to a sigil on a mirror. One she recognized all too well.

"Are they - are they gone?" Anna asked.

"Did you kill them?" Dean asked.

"No, they're alive," Amy recalled. "The sigil only sends them away."

"You want to tell me how?" Dean asked.

Anna pointed to the sigil. "That just popped in my head. I don't know how I did it. I just did it."

Dean stared at Anna for a moment, as if contemplating what she had told him. Without another word, he turned around, walking out of the room. After a moment, Amy followed Dean back to the main room.

"So, what do you think?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam scoffed. "I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second."

"Yeah, I agree. And what did they mean by "she's not innocent"?" Dean asked.

"No clue," Amy replied, "but whatever the reason, it must be serious."

"It seems like they want her bad, and not just 'cause of the angel radio thing," Sam agreed. "I mean, that blood spell - Some serious crap, man."

"Something's going on with her. See what you guys can find out."

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.

"Anna may have sent the angels to the outfield, but, sooner or later, they're gonna be back," Dean explained. "We got to get ourselves safe now." He turned around, joining Anna and Ruby in the back room.

Sam sighed before following his brother out of the cabin. A moment later, he returned with his laptop and sat at the table.

Amy peered over Sam's shoulder as he opened up Google and started a search for anything he could find on Anna.

"Okay, how the hell do you have wifi here?" Amy asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and this place is abandoned."

Sam laughed. "I hacked into the wifi network," he explained.

"Oooooh," Amy said. "That explains so much." She sat down in the chair across from Sam. "In the show, you always seemed to have wifi everywhere you went. I'm pretty sure most fans were starting to theorize that your hair had something to do with it."

"My hair?" Sam asked.

Amy sighed. "Don't ask. No one knew how you managed to get internet everywhere, so some pretty crazy theories began popping up."

* * *

Sam and Amy spent a little while digging up anything they could find on Anna.

"Huh," Sam suddenly said, leaning back in his chair.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Get this," Sam began, "looks like that hysteria episode wasn't her first. She had one when the was two and was convinced her dad wasn't her real dad. Said he wanted to kill her."

"A two-year-old said that?" Amy asked almost a little too loudly.

Dean re-emerged from the back room. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied, closing his computer. "Did you call Bobby?"

"Yeah, he said we could figure things out at his place," Dean informed them. "It's a half-day drive to Bobby's place. If we leave now, we should make it by morning."

"What did Bobby say about all this?" Amy asked.

"He doesn't know what to think."


	20. Heaven and Hell

**November 13th, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Amy sat in the backseat between Anna and Ruby as Dean drove them to Singer's Salvage Yard. Sam immediately left to go print out what they had discovered about Anna.

"Bobby's got a panic room," Dean explained as he led Anna down the steps to the basement. "It'll keep us safe from the angels and demons until we can figure out what's going on."

"Bobby?" Amy called out as Dean, Ruby, and Anna disappeared downstairs. "You up here?" When there was no answer, she followed the others downstairs.

Ruby was standing outside the panic room while Dean and Anna sat inside.

"Iron walls coated in salt," Dean was saying as he ran a hand along the walls. "Demons can't even touch the joint."

"Which I find racist by the way," Ruby added as Amy stepped past her.

Amy rolled her eyes, ignoring the demon. "On the plus side," she told Anna, "it'll give us time to figure out what's going on."

Ruby pulled out three hex bags, tossing them to Dean.

"Hex bags?" Dean asked.

Ruby nodded. "Extra crunchy. It'll hide us from demons, angels, all comers."

Amy took a hex bag from Dean. "Perfect."

"Thanks, Ruby," Dean said with a nod. He handed one to Anna. "Don't lose this," he instructed.

Anna nodded as she put the hex bag in her pocket.

"So, Anna, what's playing on Angel radio?" Dean asked. "Anything useful?"

Anna shook her head. "It's quiet. Dead silence."

"Well, that's probably a good thing," Amy muttered.

"Yeah," Dean said sarcastically, "it's not troubling at all."

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Anna asked.

"Nah," Dean replied with uncertainty.

Sam's voice came from upstairs, indicating his return. "Hey, Dean, Amy!" he called. "You down there?"

"That was fast," Amy commented. She started heading towards the stairs.

"Just stay here, okay?" Dean instructed Anna before following Amy up the stairs. "Keep an eye on her, okay?" he asked Ruby.

* * *

Dean and Amy made their way upstairs, where Sam was waiting.

"How's the car?" Dean asked instantly.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I got her. She's fine," he informed Dean. "Where's Bobby?"

"Uh, the Dominican," Dean said as they walked through the kitchen. "He said we break anything, we buy it."

"He's working a job?" Sam asked.

"God, I hope so," Dean replied. "Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."

"Thank you so much for that mental image, Dean," Amy groaned.

"What did you two find on Anna?" Dean asked, gesturing to the file Sam was holding.

"Uh, not much." Sam laid the contents of the file out on the table. "Her parents were, uh, Rich and Amy Milton - a church deacon and a housewife."

"Riveting."

"And it turns out the latest psych episode wasn't the first," Amy added. "She had one when she was two and a half."

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"When she was two and a half, she'd get hysterical any time her dad got close," Sam explained. "She was convinced that he wasn't her real daddy."

"Who was? The plumber, hmm?" Dean joked. "A little snaking the pipes?"

Amy shook her head. "Dean...reality. Porn."

"Look, Anna didn't say," Sam continued. "She just kept repeating that this real father of hers was mad. Very mad - like wanted-to-kill-her mad."

"Kind of heavy for a two-year-old," Dean said.

"Well, she saw a kid's shrink, got better, and grew up normal," Sam explained.

"Until now. So, what's she hiding?" Dean questioned.

"Why don't you just ask me to my face?"

Amy spun around to find Anna and Ruby standing behind them.

Dean glared at Ruby. "Nice job watching her."

Ruby shrugged. "I'm watching her."

"No, you're right, Anna," Sam said, turning to the red-head, "is there anything you want to tell us?"

"About what?" Anna asked.

"The angels think you're guilty of something," Amy explained. "We just wanna find out what."

"You tell me," Anna said with a shrug. "Tell me why my life has been leveled." Her voice began to shake, "why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."

"Okay," Sam said, trying to calm Anna down. "Then let's find out."

"How?" Anna asked.

"Pamela might be able to help," Dean realized. "She's a few miles away. I can bring her back here, maybe she can shed some light on this whole thing."

"Okay, yeah, good idea," Sam agreed.

"I'll call Pamela, let her know I'm on my way. You guys stay here, watch after Anna?"

"Sounds good," Amy said. "See you in a bit."

* * *

Dean grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

"It's getting pretty late," Amy noted. "Dean will probably be gone for a long time, so I'm gonna try and get some sleep until he gets back."

Sam nodded. "Okay, yeah. I'll keep an eye on Anna."

"Thanks, Sam." Amy headed up the stairs, opening the door to the all-too-familiar bedroom she had grown accustomed to over the past year and a half. She slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt before climbing into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Amy looked around. She was standing in the middle of an empty warehouse, no clue as to how she got there.

"What the hell?" Amy muttered to herself as she walked around.

"Amy," a gruff voice said.

Amy turned around to find Castiel standing behind her. She sighed. "Should have known I was dreaming. What do you want?"

Castiel looked around. "What are you dreaming about?"

Amy shrugged. "An empty warehouse apparently. I have no clue."

"Where are you?" the angel asked.

"I told you," Amy nearly snapped, crossing her arms. "I have no clue."

"I meant in the real world."

Amy scoffed. "Like I'd tell you."

Castiel stepped forward. "Tell me. Now," he demanded, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I'm not letting you get your hands on Anna," Amy hissed.

"I will find out where you are," Castiel informed her.

"Whatever," Amy said, shaking her head. "You're still not getting Anna."

Castiel stood there, staring Amy down, but she held her ground. A moment later, the angel vanished.

**November 14th, 2008**

Amy sat up in her bed, the dream still fresh in her mind. It was now daytime outside, which meant Dean would be returning any time now if he wasn't back already.

As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door.

"Hey, you in there?" Ruby called out from the hallway.

"Uh, yeah?" Amy asked, slightly confused as to why Ruby had come up to get her. She opened the door. "Dean back?"

"Sam and Dean are down in the panic room with the psychic," Ruby informed her. "They sent me up here to get you. Said you were probably asleep."

"Uh, thanks," Amy acknowledged. "I'll be right down."

* * *

Amy followed Ruby down to the panic room. Ruby stood outside the room as Amy stepped inside the iron-coated room.

"Hey, Pamela," Amy greeted.

Pamela smiled. "Amy. How are you?"

"Fine," Amy stated simply.

Pamela looked at Amy, and the white plastic balls in her eye-sockets seemed to stare into her soul.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Amy asked.

Pamela shook her head. "There's just something about you. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Well, okay then," Amy said. "I don't really know what to say about that."

Sam cleared his throat. "So, Pamela, how does this work?"

"Well," the psychic replied, "I should be able to dig into Anna's mind. It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out what's going on."

"So, what do I need to do?" Anna asked.

"I just need you to lie down on that bed over there and just relax."

Anna did so, and Pamela pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"Okay, Anna," Pamela said in a quiet voice. "Nice and relaxed."

Anna took a deep breath as she relaxed on the bed.

"Now," Pamela continued, "I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay? Five... four... three... two... one. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Anna replied.

"Now, Anna, tell me," Pamela asked, "how can you hear the angels? How did you work that spell?"

"I don't know," Anna replied. "I just did."

"Your father," Pamela continued, "what's his name?"

"Rich Milton."

Pamela nodded. "All right. But I want you to look further back... When you were very young... Just a couple of years old," she instructed.

Anna squeezed her eyes tighter. "I don't want to," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"It'll be okay. Anna," Pamela promised, "just one look - that's all we need."

"No."

"What's your dad's name?" Pamela asked again. "Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?"

Anna began thrashing around. "No. No! No. No!"

"Calm down," Pamela instructed.

"He's gonna kill me!" Anna screamed.

"Anna, you're safe," Pamela assured the woman.

"No!" Anna screamed again. The lights in the room began to explode.

"Calm down," Pamela said louder.

"He's gonna kill me!" Anna repeated.

"It's all right, Anna," Pamela promised.

"Anna?" Dean asked, walking towards the thrashing woman.

"Dean, don't," Pamela warned.

Without any warning, Dean was suddenly thrown across the room, crashing into the wall.

"Wake in one, two, three, four, five," Pamela said quickly. Anna immediately calmed down and woke up. She sat up on the bed. "Anna... Anna?" Pamela asked. "You all right?"

"Thank you, Pamela," Anna acknowledged. "That helps a lot. I remember now."

"Remember what?" Sam asked.

"Who I am."

"I'll bite. Who are you?" Dean asked.

Anna looked around the room. "I'm an angel."

"And, there it is," Amy commented.

No one replied to Amy's statement. The room fell so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Pamela gulped uneasily at the news as Anna sat there, looking around at them. Nobody knew what to say as they processed the news Anna had told them. After a beat, Anna ran out of the room, quickly followed by the others.

* * *

They found Anna pacing back and forth in Bobby's study.

"Don't be afraid," the angel said when she saw them all standing there, "I'm not like the others."

"I don't find that very reassuring," Ruby said.

"Neither do I," Pamela added, leaning on the desk.

"So...Castiel, Uriel - they're the ones that came for me?" Anna asked.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

"We were kind of in the same foxhole," Anna explained.

"So, what, were they like your bosses or something?" Dean asked.

Anna smirked. "Try the other way around."

"Nice!" Amy exclaimed.

"But now they want to kill you?" Pamela asked.

"Orders are orders." Anna sighed. "I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head."

"Why?" Pamela asked.

"I disobeyed... which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do," Anna explained. "I fell."

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"She became human," Amy replied.

"Wait a minute. I don't understand. So, angels can just become human?" Sam asked.

Anna nodded. "It kind of hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt. I ripped out my grace."

"Come again?"

"My grace," Anna repeated. "It's... energy. Hacked it out and fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant." She smiled. "She always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?" Dean asked.

Anna nodded. "The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are," Ruby cut in.

"Ruby's right," Anna agreed. "Heaven wants me dead."

"And Hell just wants her," Ruby shrugged. "A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds." The demon looked over at Anna. "Sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find you."

"I know," Anna said. "And that's why I'm gonna get it back."

"What?" Sam asked.

"My grace," Anna explained.

"Do you remember where it is?" Amy asked.

Anna shook her head. "Lost track. I was falling about ten thousand miles per hour at the time."

Sam straightened up, looking more alert. "Wait. Do you mean falling, like, literally?"

"Yes."

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet, maybe, or a meteor?" Sam continued

"Why do you ask?" Anna asked.

"I think I know how we can find your grace," Sam explained.

"Looking for meteorites that flew over where Anna was born in eighty-five?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Exactly."

"I need to get some air," Anna announced. She turned out of the room and headed outside.

"I should get home, myself," Pamela said.

"I'll drive you home," Dean offered.

"Can I come with?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sure." He grabbed the Impala keys. "We'll be back."

* * *

Dean helped Pamela into the passenger seat as Amy climbed into the back.

The trip to Pamela's house was silent. Dean walked Pamela to her front porch while Amy waited in the Impala for him to return.

It wasn't until they were driving back to Bobby's house that the silence was broken.

"So, you knew Anna was an angel, huh?"

Amy looked confused. "Huh?"

"Back at Bobby's place," Dean clarified, "when Anna told us what she was, you didn't look shocked or anything."

"Yeah, I knew Anna was an angel," Amy admitted. "I wasn't sure at first, but when she drew the angel-banishing sigil the other day, that pretty much confirmed it. Only angels know how to do that."

"Hmm." Dean nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"A lot was going on," Amy said, shrugging. "And I wasn't too sure if you'd believe me."

"Well, do me a favor," Dean told her, "next time, just tell us, okay? Even if you aren't sure or you think we won't listen for any reason, just tell us. Because chances are, you'll be right, and it'll save us a lot of time. Deal?"

Amy nodded. "Deal."

"Okay, while we're on that, is there anything we should know?"

Amy thought for a moment. "I could be wrong, but-"

Dean cut her off. "Hey, remember what I said. Even if you think you're wrong, just say it."

"I'm pretty sure one of the angels already has Anna's grace," Amy continued. "It's been ages since I watched this episode, even long before I met you guys, but I think I remember that one of the angels, either Castiel or Uriel, already has it."

"Okay, good," Dean acknowledged. "Anything else?"

Amy shook her head. "No, nothing."

Dean gave her a disapproving look.

"I swear," Amy insisted, holding up her hands, "that's all."

"Alright," Dean said. "That's good. It helps us a lot."

Amy nodded but didn't say anything as she turned her head to look out the window.

* * *

They arrived back at Bobby's late that night. Sam was in the study with Ruby, looking through books and old magazines.

"Hey," Sam said as soon as Dean and Amy walked into the room. "I think I know where Anna's grace is."

"Yeah, so do we," Dean cut in. "Cas or Uriel, one of them already has it."

"What?" Sam asked. "How could you-"

Dean cut Sam off again. "Amy," he stated simply. "She knew Anna was an angel this whole time. Said wherever it was before, it's gone now."

Ruby cocked an eyebrow. "And, we're just supposed to believe that?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look, both hesitating to say anything.

"Amy, uh," Dean began, "she knows things, some things, before they happen."

"How?" Ruby pushed.

Amy sighed. "Maybe we should just tell her. It'll make this a whole lot easier."

"No," Dean snapped. "She doesn't deserve to know."

"Well, I'm here," Ruby said, "and now I know you're hiding something from me, so you may as well spit it out."

Sam sighed. "Amy's not exactly from around here."

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked.

"It means I'm from another universe," Amy explained, much to Dean's annoyance. "One where all of this is a TV show. All of what's happening with Anna, I've seen it before."

Ruby huffed. "And you two knew about this?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we did."

Ruby raised her voice. "And you're just now saying something?"

"Yeah," Dean snapped, "because we didn't want you to know."

Sam held up a hand. "But, now, you do know. And we can use this to our advantage. Get a head start even."

Ruby sighed. "Okay. So, since we apparently just wasted all that time looking for nothing, what's the new plan?"

"Maybe we should get Anna in here first," Amy suggested. "She still outside?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll go get her," Amy offered. She didn't give anyone time to protest before hurrying outside.

* * *

Amy found Anna sitting on the hood of one of the many cars in the junkyard. "Anna?"

Anna turned around at her name. "Hey, Amy," she greeted.

"Hey. Uh, we're trying to come up with a plan. Thought you might wanna come inside so we could all figure something out together."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, sure. Did you find my grace?"

"Uh, not exactly. It's not where it was before. Cas or Uriel, probably Uriel, already took it."

Anna scoffed. "Figures."

"Really?" Amy asked. "You're not gonna ask how I could know that?"

"I know who you are," Anna explained. "The angels have talked about you. About how you know the future. You knew I was an angel this whole time, didn't you?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I did. Sorry, I should have said something."

"No, it's okay," Anna assured her, "if I knew all the things you knew, I don't think I would just run around telling everyone either."

Amy sat on the hood next to Anna. "To be honest, I'm still trying to figure all this out. Even after all this time."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"I mean, the things I know. You being an angel, Dean being pulled out of Hell by Castiel, even things that haven't happened yet, I could tell Sam and Dean if I wanted to. It would probably make things a lot easier, but I don't know what'll happen if I do. I could tell them about something bad that'll happen in the future, so they can be prepared, but if I do that, then something else might happen. I prevent one thing, and something equally or more catastrophic happens."

"Must be hard."

Amy scoffed. "Hard barely scratches the surface of what this feels like. There are so many things I haven't told them."

"Like Gabriel?" Anna asked.

"You know about that?"

Anna let out a small laugh. "A lot of angels know about that."

"Well, do me a favor and don't tell Sam or Dean. I promised Gabe I wouldn't blow his cover."

Anna laughed. "Deal. We should probably get inside, right?"

Amy nodded. "Before they come out looking for us."

* * *

Amy and Anna made their way back inside.

"Okay," Dean said as soon as everyone was in the study, "We still got the hex bags. I say we head back to the panic room."

"That's the plan you came up with when I was getting Anna?" Amy asked.

"Well, you got any better ideas?" Dean snapped.

Amy thought for a moment. "It's risky, but-"

"But what?"

"But what if we brought the angels and demons together?" Amy finished.

Sam turned to Anna. "Anna... Do you know of any weapon that works on an angel? To what? To kill them?"

"Well, there's an angel blade," Amy recalled.

Anna nodded. "But we can't get to it right now." She suddenly put a hand to her head. "Um... guys?" she asked. "The angels are talking again."

"What are they saying?" Sam asked.

"It's weird, like a recording... a loop. It says, "Dean Winchester gives us Anna by midnight, or..." Anna paused.

"Or what?"

"...or we hurl him back to damnation," Anna finished.

"Okay, wait, wait. I say we call Bobby," Dean suggested. "We get him back from hedonism."

"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but we gotta think of something!" Dean snapped.

"What if we went with Amy's plan?" Sam asked.

"You want to bring angels and demons together in the same room?" Dean asked.

"I know it sounds crazy," Amy said, "but it might work."

Ruby scoffed. "How?"

"We let them fight," Amy replied. "It'll distract them long enough for Anna to get her grace back." She paused. "Hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Dean asked.

"Hey, it worked in the show, it's bound to work again."

"And you're sure about this?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "Positive."

"You guys really think that'll work?" Ruby asked.

Sam and Dean shrugged.

"I don't know, but if Amy says it'll work, I believe her," Dean said.

Ruby scoffed. "If you say so."

"Ruby, can you handle the demon delivery?" Sam asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean said, "we're not gonna bring them all here to Bobby's place, are we?"

"No, Dean's right," Amy agreed. "We'll need a place to get them to all go to."

"There's an abandoned barn a couple of hours from here," Sam suggested.

"That'll work," Amy agreed.

"I'll handle the demon delivery," Ruby said. "You guys get Anna to that barn and get the angels there."

Sam nodded. "See you there."

A moment later, Ruby disappeared.

"Sam, where's this barn?" Amy asked.

"It's a few hours up the highway," Sam repeated.

Dean nodded. "Let's get going then."

* * *

Dean drove down the highway with Sam, Anna, and Amy in the car. Before long, they reached the barn. Dean parked the Impala near some trees off to the side, and they headed inside.

"So, I guess we should burn these hex bags then," Dean said, pulling the hex bag Ruby had given him out of his pocket.

Amy pulled her hex bag out too. "Sam, you got a lighter?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam pulled a lighter and his hex bag out as well.

Dean took everyone's hex bags away from them and handed them to Sam, who burned them with the lighter, dropping the flaming hex bags to the ground.

Anna sat on a chair as they waited for something to happen.

Sam sighed. "I don't know, man. Where's Ruby?" he asked Dean as he paced around the room.

Dean scoffed. "Hey, she's your Hell buddy." He pulled out a flask and took a drink from it.

"Little early for that, isn't it?" Anna questioned.

Dean shrugged. "It's two a.m. somewhere." He took another drink from the flask.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked softly.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Before anyone could say anything else, the barn doors burst open, and Castiel and Uriel entered.

"Hello, Anna," Castiel greeted. "It's good to see you."

"You guys really shouldn't have burned those hex bags," Uriel said with a laugh.

"Guess we were just tired of running," Sam said.

Anna walked up to Dean, kissing him on the cheek. "You did the best you could," she whispered. She turned back to the angels. "Okay. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry," Castiel told her.

Anna shook her head. "No. You're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history. It's just-"

"Orders are orders," Anna finished. "I know. Just make it quick."

Amy looked around, wondering if she had messed something up, and Ruby wasn't going to get there in time with the other demons when the doors behind the hunters burst open.

Alastair and two other demons appeared, dragging a bleeding Ruby behind them.

"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head," Alastair demanded.

The hunters and Anna quickly moved out of the way as the angels and demons began to argue.

Uriel stepped closer to the demons. "How dare you come in this room," Uriel sneered, "you pussing sore?"

Alastair tossed Ruby into a hay bale next to him. "Name-calling. That hurt my feelings." He sneered. "You sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel demanded.

Alastair nodded. "Sure. Just give us the girl." He smirked. "We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do." Castiel stepped forward as well. "I won't say it again, leave now... or we lay you to waste."

Alastair smirked. "Think I'll take my chances."

Castiel, Uriel, Alastair, and the other demon stared each other down for a moment. Suddenly, Uriel lunged for one of the demons, and the fighting began.

Uriel smashed the demon into a pillar, causing it to collapse. He punched another demon away as it came up from behind.

Castiel punched Alastair in the face several times, before putting a hand on the demon's forehead and trying to exorcise the demon, to no avail.

Alastair smirked. "Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to daddy?

Uriel put a hand on another demon's forehead. The demon screamed as it was exorcised.

Alastair pinned Castiel to the ground, placing a hand around the angel's throat. " _Potestas inferna, me confirma_ ," he chanted. " _Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferna, me confirma_!"

Dean grabbed a crowbar, swinging it at Alastair and knocking him away from Castiel.

Alastair stood back up. "Dean, Dean, Dean... I am so disappointed. You had such promise."

The demon held a hand out, and Amy instantly felt her lungs start to close up. She fell to the ground, struggling to get any oxygen into her body.

Anna rushed up to Uriel as he began to exorcise the last demon and grabbed a glowing vial from around his neck.

"No!" Uriel yelled as Anna threw the vial on the ground. The glass shattered, and white light flowed into her mouth.

"Shut your eyes. Shut your eyes!" Anna yelled as she began to glow brightly. "Shut your eyes!"

Amy covered her eyes as a blinding light erupted from Anna. The light was gone as quickly as it had come, and when Amy opened her eyes again, Alastair was gone.

Dean picked up Ruby's knife. "Well, what are you guys waiting for?" he asked. "Go get Anna. Unless, of course, you're scared."

"This isn't over," Uriel said as he took a threateningly step forward.

Castiel put a hand on Uriel's shoulder, stopping him. Dean smirked. "Oh, it looks over to me, junkless."

Castiel and Uriel disappeared.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked as Ruby walked over to them.

Ruby groaned. "Not so much."

"What took you so long to get here?" Dean asked.

Ruby scoffed. "Sorry, I'm late with the demon delivery. I was only being tortured," she said sarcastically.

Dean nodded. "Well, I gotta admit, Amy. Bringing them all together was a pretty damn good plan."

Amy smiled. "Thanks, Dean."

"I guess when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight," Sam said.

Amy sighed. "So, I guess we won't be seeing Anna for a while, huh."

Sam nodded. "She's some big-time angel now, huh?"

Dean nodded, but Amy could see tears forming in his eyes.

"She must be happy," Sam continued, "wherever she is."

"I doubt it," Dean said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Well, I better get out of here," Ruby told them.

"See you around," Sam said. Ruby nodded before disappearing, leaving the hunters alone in the barn.

* * *

**November 15th, 2008**

The sun was coming up as they left the barn. Dean pulled out three beers, handing one to Sam and one to Amy.

"Oh, no," Amy protested, "I can't."

"Come on," Dean insisted. "You earned it."

Amy smiled as she took the drink. "Thanks." She took a sip, wincing at the bitter taste.

"I can't believe we made it out of there," Dean said with a slight laugh.

Sam scoffed. "Again."

Dean took a sip of his beer and sighed. "I know you heard him," he said finally.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Alastair," Dean replied. "What he said... about how I had promise. I know you both heard him."

Sam nodded. "I heard him."

"I heard him too," Amy told him.

"You guys aren't curious?" Dean asked.

"Of course we are, Dean," Amy admitted.

"But you're not talking about Hell," Sam finished, "and we're not pushing."

Dean took another sip of his beer. "It wasn't four months, you know," he admitted.

"What?" Sam asked.

"It was four months up here," Dean explained, "but down there... I don't know. Time's different. It was more like forty years."

"My God," Sam said breathily.

"Dean, I-" Amy didn't know how to finish.

Dean hesitated. "They, uh... They sliced and carved and tore at me in ways that you... Until there was nothing left." He took a deep breath. "And then, suddenly... I would be whole again... like magic... just so they could start all over."

Dean's voice began to shake. "And Alastair... at the end of every day... every... one... he would come over. And he would make me an offer. To take me off the rack... if I put souls on... if I started the torturing. And every day, I told him to stick it where the sun shines."

Amy looked at the ground as she listened to Dean tell them about his time in Hell. She let out a shaky breath.

"For thirty years, I told him. But then I couldn't do it anymore, Sammy. I couldn't," Dean continued. "And I got off that rack. God help me, I got right off it, and I started ripping them apart. I lost count of how many souls." A tear rolled down Dean's cheek. "The - the things that I did to them."

Dean stopped talking as he started to sob.

"Dean... Dean, look, you held out for thirty years," Sam told his brother. "That's longer than anyone would have."

Amy nodded. "It's longer than I would have," she added.

"How I feel," Dean said as tears ran down his face, "this... inside me... I wish I couldn't feel anything, Sammy. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing."

Amy put an arm around Dean, trying to bring him comfort. "It's okay," she said in a soothing voice. "You'll be okay."

Dean's entire body started to shake as he sobbed harder.

' _We're here for you_ ,' Amy thought, making a silent promise to Dean.


	21. After School Special

**December 10th, 2008 - Fairfax, Indiana**

They were looking into a case involving a girl who had suddenly gone crazy and drowned another girl in a toilet at their high school. Amy sat in the backseat of the Impala as they waited for Sam to come back from questioning the suspect, who had claimed to be possessed during the ordeal.

Dean was absent mindedly flipping through his dad's journal, looking for anything that might be helpful. He closed the journal as the passenger door opened, turning his attention to Sam.

"So?" Dean asked.

Sam cleared his throat. "I think she's telling the truth," he said. "I mean, the way she talked about being there mentally but not physically. Kind of sounds like demonic possession to me."

"Kind of?" Dean echoed.

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur," Sam explained.

"So, not a demon, then?" Amy asked.

"Kids can be vicious," Dean pointed out.

"Well, I mean, we're already here." Sam sighed. "Might as well check out the school."

Dean paused for a while. "Right," he finally said. "The school."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Truman High, home of the Bombers," Dean continued with fake enthusiasm.

"What's your point?" Sam asked.

"I mean, we went there, like... for a month a million years ago. Why are you so jazzed to go back?" Dean asked.

"I'm not," Sam defended. "I just think it's worth looking into."

Dean nodded. "All right, well, what's our cover? FBI? Homeland Security? Swedish exchange students?"

"Dean, do you even know any Swedish?" Amy asked.

"Well...no," Dean admitted.

"Don't worry. I got an idea," Sam informed them.

"You, uh, mind sharing that idea?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "I will," he promised. "When we get back to the motel."

Dean nodded, a little unnerved by his brother's tone. "Okay," he finally said as he started up the engine and drove away from the mental hospital.

* * *

When they got back to the motel, Sam opened up his laptop and began working on something.

After a while, Sam cleared his throat. "Okay."

"Can we finally hear this plan?" Amy asked.

"I figured out a way to get us into the school," Sam explained. "School gym teacher is getting married in Massachusetts, so they're looking for a new one."

"I can take that one," Dean offered.

Sam nodded. "And as of five minutes ago, their janitor won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas. I'll take his place. We should be starting on Friday."

"And what about me?" Amy asked.

"I found the records for a student named Amelia Wilson. Homeschooled until now, but recently transferred to Truman High."

"I'm going back to school?" Amy asked. She groaned. "Come on, I already escaped Hell before I met you, I don't want to go back."

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of Hell.

"Sorry, Dean," Amy apologized. She turned back to Sam. "Isn't there something else I could do?"

Sam shook his head. "Nothing that would make sense. I know you're nineteen, but you do look like you're around fourteen or fifteen. You'd blend right in with the other students."

"Fine," Amy said reluctantly. "But don't expect me to enjoy it."

"I didn't say you had to," Sam told her. "It'll only be for a week or so until we can figure this out. Deal?"

Amy sighed. "Deal," she agreed reluctantly. "What classes will I be taking?"

"Algebra, Chemistry, History, P.E., the usual," Sam listed. He handed Amy his laptop. "You just need to choose two electives you want to take."

"Can do," Amy said as she took Sam's laptop. She scrolled through the list of electives until one, in particular, caught her eye. "They have a creative writing class?" she asked. "That was one I wish we had at my school."

"Creative writing, huh?" Dean asked.

Amy shrugged as she checked off the box. "I like writing," she admitted.

Amy read through the other electives, checking the box next to the theater class, before handing the paper back to Sam.

"Okay," Sam said. "Your first class starts tomorrow. We'll take you to the store sometime today to get what you need."

"Come on, man, she doesn't need anything," Dean protested.

"She'll be taking classes, Dean," Sam argued. "She'll need supplies and a backpack."

"I actually agree with Sam," Amy added. "If I'm gonna be going to school, I'll need to look the part, right?"

Dean groaned. "Fine. But we're only getting the basics. Pencils, erasers, and a few notebooks. Sam, she can borrow your backpack, right?" he asked, gesturing to the black backpack leaning against the wall.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

Amy dug around in her bag for her wallet. "I've got twenty bucks," she informed them, "that should be enough to get what I need. The Target down the street closes in a few hours. I can walk down there and buy my supplies."

"Okay," Dean said. "I'll drive you."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Dean, it's just a block or so down the street. You can see it from the motel room. I don't mind walking."

"By yourself?"

"I'm an adult, Dean. I can walk down a sidewalk. Besides, I used to walk home from school all the time, and that was at least two or three miles."

"Didn't you take the bus or get picked up by your guardian?" Sam asked.

"I got picked up during elementary and middle school," Amy explained. "But I joined a swim team in high school, so I had to take the sports bus home. Sometimes I missed it and just decided to walk home instead."

Dean looked at his watch. "Well, if you're gonna go to the store today, you better get going before it closes."

Amy stuck her wallet and cell phone in her jacket pocket. "See you guys in a little while."

"Be careful," Dean told her.

Amy didn't reply as she walked out of the motel room and started her walk down the street.

* * *

It was a twenty-minute walk to the store. Amy grabbed a basket on her way in and made a beeline towards the school supplies.

Amy grabbed a pack of mechanical pencils and an extra pack of lead to go with them, along with a pack of erasers. She stuck a binder in the basket along with them and then turned to the notebooks. She grabbed five different colored notebooks for her core classes and dropped them in the basket along with everything us.

After grabbing the basics, she added up the prices of what she had. Figuring she had plenty left over, she grabbed a calculator and some binder paper before making her way to the check out line.

"Find everything okay?" the cashier asked.

Amy nodded as she pulled the twenty-dollar bill from her wallet. "Yes," she said.

"Sixteen fifty-one," the cashier told her.

Amy handed over the twenty dollars, and the cashier handed over her change and bags. Having only spent ten minutes in the store, Amy began the twenty-minute walk back to the motel.

* * *

"That was fast," Sam told her as she entered the motel room.

"Yeah, it was a pretty short walk to the store." Amy placed the bags on her bed. "Can I go ahead and put these in the backpack, then?"

Sam nodded. "Go for it."

"Where's Dean?" Amy asked as she emptied her shopping bags.

"Went out to get us something to eat," Sam explained.

Amy spent some time getting her supplies ready. Sometime later, Dean returned with cheeseburgers, beer, and pie.

"What time do my classes start tomorrow?" Amy asked as she took a burger. "And don't I have to get, you know, registered?"

"Seven-thirty," Dean told her. "And don't worry. Amelia Wilson is already registered. You're just taking her place."

Amy nodded. "Got it." She sighed. "Just when I thought I was done with school, I get dragged back in."

* * *

**November 11th, 2008 - Truman High**

The next morning, Dean drove her to the school. The Impala idled in front of the tall building as Amy stared up at it, hesitant to get out.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Amy replied, nodding, "I just...I didn't exactly have the best experiences at my high school."

"Hey, you'll be okay," Dean assured her. "Remember, it's only for a week, maybe less. Then we'll leave, and you can put all of this behind you."

Amy sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Besides," Dean continued. "This definitely isn't the Amy we've come to know over the past year."

Amy smirked. "Oh yeah? And, uh, who is the Amy you've come to know over the past year?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure the Amy we've gotten to know is confident, doesn't let anyone get in her way and push her down, is willing and brave enough to stand up for herself." He paused. "You'll be okay," he repeated. "I know you will."

Amy smiled. "You're right." She grabbed the strap of her backpack. "I better get going. See you later?"

"I'll be here when you get out. And don't forget what we're really here for," Dean said. "Keep an eye out for anything that could help us with this case, if there even is a case. I'll be by this afternoon to pick you up."

Amy nodded as she opened the car door. "Will do. Later, Dean." She climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind her as Dean sped off.

* * *

Amy walked into the school, looking around for the main office. She quickly spotted it, not far from the main entrance, and headed inside.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'm new," Amy explained. "I was told to come here and get my schedule."

"Name?" the woman asked, pulling out a folder.

"Amelia Jon-," Amy quickly corrected herself, "uh, Amelia Wilson."

The woman pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here you are. Your locker number is 109. The combination is on the back of your schedule. What size gym uniform are you?"

"Uh, small," Amy replied.

The woman handed her a uniform consisting of a white shirt and red shorts.

"Thank you." Amy headed back out to the hallway before looking at the paper she was given. Each class was fifty-five minutes long, with a ten-minute break after the second class and a half-hour lunch after her fourth, getting her out for the day by two-thirty.

Her first class was Creative Writing with Ms. Thompson. The class began in ten minutes, but first, she needed to find her locker. Amy started her walk down the long hallway.

'106, 107, 108...' Amy quickly found her locker and put the combination in, opening it on the first try. She stood there, staring into the empty locker.

'Why did I come here?' she wondered to herself. 'I don't even have any books to put in the locker. What was even the point of this?' She sighed, closing the empty locker back up again before looking at the schedule again.

"First day?" someone asked.

Amy turned around to see a boy standing behind her, smiling. "Is it that obvious?"

"Pretty much," the boy said. "I'm Eric." He held out his hand.

Amy shook Eric's hand. "Amy," she introduced herself.

"What class are you going to?" Eric asked.

"Creative Writing," Amy replied.

"With Ms. Thompson?"

"Uh, yeah," Amy confirmed.

"What a coincidence," Eric told her. "I'm heading to that class as well. I'll walk you."

* * *

"So, did you just move here?" Eric asked as they walked down the hall.

"Kinda," Amy replied. "I was homeschooled until recently."

"Homeschooled?" Eric echoed. "Wow. What was that like?"

"Kinda boring, to be honest," Amy said, making up everything as she went. "I didn't exactly sit in a classroom filled with people I could talk to or sit with at lunch."

"Well, first day, and you already know one person," Eric said.

"You got a point there."

* * *

They reached the classroom and walked in. A woman was writing something on a chalkboard. She turned her head towards the door as Amy and Eric walked in.

"You must be Amelia Wilson," Ms. Thompson said, walking up to them, "or do you prefer Amy."

"Uh, Amy's fine."

"I'm Ms. Thompson," her teacher said. "I'll be your Creative Writing teacher this semester." Before Amy could say anything else, Ms. Thompson walked her over to the front of the room.

'Please don't make the grand announcement, please don't make the grand announcement.'

"Class?" Ms. Thompson addressed the class, who all turned to face her. "This is Amelia Wilson. She'll be joining our class for the remainder of our school year."

Amy tried to ignore the silent stares she got from the other students.

"Okay. Why don't you go on ahead and take your seat next to Mr. Sutton in the back."

Amy nodded and began making her way down the aisle. Students continued to stare at her as she sat down next to Eric. She averted her gaze towards her desk, silently hoping they would stop.

Most of the class was spent with classmates going up to the front of the classroom to read what they had written the night before.

Amy tapped on Eric's shoulder, leaning towards him so he could hear her. "Do we have to do this every class?" she whispered.

"You mean, read our paper to the entire class?" Eric asked. Amy nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry. You'll get used to it."

Amy didn't say anything as she sat back up, her mind flashing back to her real time at high school before meeting Sam and Dean.

* * *

**October 22nd, 2014 - Bell High School**

Amy sat in her sophomore English classroom, anxiously tapping her foot as her teacher droned on. They had been given a creative essay assignment earlier that week, and now had to read them to the class.

The teen looked up as her name was finally called. She took a deep breath and made her way up to the front of the class, trying to avoid the several pairs of eyes that seemed to stare into her soul.

Amy clutched her paper tightly as her heart pounded in her chest. No one was even paying attention to her anyway. Half the class was on their phone, and the others were whispering amongst themselves. Her teacher sat in the back of the class, a pen in his hands as he waited for Amy to start reading.

Amy began reading the words in front of her. The words seemed to disappear from the page as she tried to get through. She knew she was reading too fast, and that she was mumbling, but she just wanted it to be over. Her hands trembled as she neared the end of the paper, and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she finally read the last word.

Her teacher didn't say anything, or if she did, Amy didn't hear it. She just wanted to sit back down. Finally, her teacher nodded, pointing his red pen towards her chair. Without another word, Amy walked down the aisle of desks, her eyes aimed towards the floor as her teacher called the next student up to read.

* * *

**December 11th, 2008 - Truman High**

Amy had been so focused on the anxiety she felt when she had to stand in front of an entire class, that she barely noticed that class was almost over. Eric nudged her shoulder to get her attention when Ms. Thompson began assigning the homework.

"Your homework tonight is to write about a time you felt different or alone," Ms. Thompson told them as the bell began to ring. "This will be handwritten and due tomorrow."

Amy grabbed her bag and followed the class out the door.

"Hey, Amy, what class do you have next?" Eric asked as he caught up with her.

Amy looked at her schedule and groaned. "Algebra. Room 208."

"Man, tough break," Eric said. "I've got P.E. next."

"Looks like I don't have that 'til after lunch."

"Room 208 is down that way." Eric pointed down the hall behind Amy. He pointed behind himself next. "Gym is this way for when that class comes up. I'll come find you at lunch if I don't see you again before."

"Cool, thanks," Amy said. She started walking down the hallway towards her next class. "See ya."

* * *

Algebra class seemed to go on forever. After the class was over, Amy slipped into an empty classroom, pulling out her phone to call Dean during the break.

"Hey, Amy," Dean greeted through the phone.

"Hey, you guys find anything out yet?" Amy asked.

"Nothing yet," Dean informed her. "What about you?"

"No, nothing. But, hey, I wanted to call you while I had a chance because I was thinking. What if it's not a demon we're going after?"

There was a pause on the other line. "Hold on," Dean said after a moment, "I'm gonna put you on speaker."

A brief moment later, Sam's voice came through. "Hey, Amy, what were you just saying?"

"I said, what if it's not a demon we're going after," Amy repeated.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well, ghosts, if they get angry enough, can possess people, right?" Amy asked, pacing up and down in front of the chalkboard.

"Well, I mean, they would have to get really angry, but it is technically speaking possible."

"Do you really think we could be dealing with a ghost possession?" Dean asked.

"Well, I mean, think about it," Amy replied. "No sulfur, no black smoke, but that girl at the hospital swore up and down she was possessed. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but check to see if anyone died at this school. I've gotta get to my next class, but I'll call you guys when I'm at lunch."

"Okay, we'll look into it," Sam said, "bye, Amy."

"Bye, guys." Amy hung up her phone as the bell indicating the end of the short break ended. She left the classroom and checked her schedule. The theater class was next in room 210, right next to her math class.

* * *

Amy made it to her next class with seconds to spare. Theater was a class she was actually happy to take. Public speaking was a big no-no for her, but when she was on stage, pretending to be someone she wasn't all those fears seemed to vanish.

She poked her head inside the large classroom. Twenty chairs sat bunched together in a group near the back, leaving a wide, open space in the front. A woman sat behind a desk as the students filed in.

"Are you Mrs. Perrin," Amy asked.

"Yes," the woman replied, extending her hand, "you must be Ms. Wilson. Welcome."

"That's me," Amy confirmed.

"I won't go through the grand introduction that I'm sure you've already gone through today, so you can go ahead and find an empty seat."

Amy sat down, and the class began.

* * *

They did a lot of improv during the class, something Amy just happened to be good at. She stood in front of the class, as she and another boy in the class improvised a scene together. The scene they were making up, ironically, included ghosts. Another student, Alex, was playing the part of the spirit Amy's character couldn't see. Alex stood off to the side, near an open door, waiting for the right moment to slam it closed

"You've gone mad," Amy said in a British accent as she folded her arms. She wasn't sure where the accent had come from. It was just something that came to her at the last moment. "Absolutely mad."

"I - I haven't, I swear," Henry stuttered. "Please, just listen to me."

Amy crossed the room, getting in Henry's face. "Listen to you? You want me to listen to the insane story that you can see ghosts, Charles? Ghosts. Don't. Exist."

"I know you don't believe me, but it's true," Henry insisted. "Just let me prove it to you, please."

Amy huffed, turning around, so her back was to Henry. "I'm going out for a walk," she said calmly. "When I get back, I want you to either forget all of this nonsense about ghosts or leave."

"Helen, please," Henry insisted, grabbing Amy's arm, "just listen for one second. He turned to Alex. "Please do something, Elena!" he pleaded. "Help me."

Alex rolled her eyes and slammed the door closed. It slammed shut with a loud bang.

Amy looked at the door, getting a fearful look on her face. "What the hell was that?" she asked.

"Elena," Henry informed her, "I told you I wasn't lying."

Amy shook her head. "It was obviously the wind or something."

"Well, can wind do that?" Henry asked, pointing to the back of the room.

Amy looked to where Henry was pointing to see Alex walking towards her, balancing a book on her head, and carrying a vase in one hand and water pitcher in the other. She got an even more fearful look on her face as Alex got closer. Amy let out a blood-curdling scream, falling to the ground as the lights in the classroom came back on.

"Where on earth did you learn how to do that?" Ms. Perrin asked as Amy stood back up.

"I grew up with a lot of older and younger sisters," Amy explained. "We used to make up plays all the time and perform them when we got bored. We'd make props and costumes out of whatever we could find and then just...act out the scenes we had written."

* * *

Amy called Sam and Dean back after her History class.

"Hey, I'm at lunch now," she informed them as Dean answered the phone, "so I can talk a bit longer. You guys find anything?"

"Yeah," Dean confirmed, "looks like you were right. Some kid named Barry Cook died in that school. Slit his wrists in the first-floor girl's bathroom."

"Barry Cook?" Amy asked.

Sam's voice came through the speaker. "Yeah, he was a student when Dean and I attended that school. He had a pretty hard time. Got bullied a lot."

"Does murdering people sound like something he would do, though?" Amy asked.

Sam sighed. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Either way," Dean continued. "If there's a chance that there's a ghost at the school, we gotta get rid of it. Skip the rest of your classes. Sammy and I will find out where Barry is buried, and then I'll be by after lunch to pick you up so we can go torch some bones."

"Okay," Amy replied. "Sounds good."

"Nice work, Amy," Dean praised before hanging up.

* * *

Amy hurried off to the cafeteria. She walked inside, grabbing a tray for her food. After getting her lunch, she turned around, searching through the crowd for Eric.

A waving hand gathered her attention. Amy looked over to see Eric waving her over to the table where he was sitting with a group of friends. She quickly made her way over.

"Hey, there you are," Eric said as she approached. "What took you so long?"

"Had to make a phone call," Amy explained.

They talked about how their day had been so far, but not much else. After lunch, Amy didn't go to her last two classes, instead choosing to slip into the girl's bathroom and wait for Dean's text that he was outside.

* * *

The text came ten minutes later. Amy checked to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying down the empty hallway and out the front entrance.

"So, Barry is buried in a cemetery not too far from here," Dean explained. "We're gonna go ahead and head out there right now. Hopefully, burning these bones puts a stop to all this."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, hopefully."

* * *

**Fairfax Cemetery**

They reached the cemetery twenty minutes later. Dean handed Amy a shovel as he and Sam took one for themselves before the three hunters made their way inside.

Amy walked down a row of graves as she searched for Barry's name on any of them. Sam and Dean walked down the other rows on the other sides of her.

"Hey guys," Sam called out. "Think I found something."

Amy hurried over with Dean to find Sam standing in front of a grave, which read:

**Barry Cook**

**1983-1998**

Amy sighed. "Poor kid," she muttered.

"Yeah," Sam agreed quietly.

"Alright," Dean said, "let's get this over with."

The grave was only big enough for two people, so they took turns digging. Night was starting to fall as Amy stood in the grave with Sam as she helped him dig. She was just about to switch with Dean, when her shovel hit the coffin.

Amy and Sam exchanged a glance before Amy hopped out of the grave to let Sam open the coffin. Sam struck the wood a few times with his shovel until it cracked open, before climbing out of the grave as well.

Amy gagged and cover her mouth as the stench began to reach her nostrils. Most of the flesh was still attached to the skeleton, which only made it look more grotesque.

"Ugh," Dean gagged, "let's get this over with."

Amy poured salt on the body as Sam poured lighter fluid over it. When they were done, Dean lit a match, dropping it into the grave.

"So long, Barry Cook," Dean said as the body burst into flames. Amy let the heat from the fire warm her up, rubbing her hands together as the cold air whipped around them.

* * *

When the flames finally died down, Amy helped Sam and Dean shovel the dirt back into the grave. She followed them back to the car, placing her shovel in the trunk of the Impala before climbing into the backseat. Sam and Dean got into the front, and Dean pulled away from the cemetery.

"You all right?" Dean asked, turning to Sam, who hadn't said a word since they had driven away from the cemetery.

Sam sighed. "Barry was my friend. I just burned his bones," he admitted.

"Well, he's at peace now, Sam."

Sam continued on. "I mean, if Dad had let us stay just a little while longer, maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?"

"You read the coroner's report, same as me," Dean reminded his brother. "Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It was tragic, but it's not your fault. To tell you the truth, I'm glad we got out of that town. I hated that school."

"It wasn't all bad," Sam admitted.

Dean shot Sam a glance. "How can you say that after what happened to you?" he asked.

Sam didn't reply, as he turned his head to look out the window.

* * *

**December 12th, 2008 - Truman High**

"Remind me again, why we had to come back here?" Amy asked as she looked back up at the high school. "We burned Barry's bones."

"It's just a precaution," Dean told her. "We gotta make sure everything's good here before we just pack up and leave. Sam's already inside, checking the school for EMF, but until we know it's safe, we're staying an extra day or two."

Amy sighed. "Alright." She grabbed her backpack. "I better get going. See you during gym, I guess."

Dean nodded. "And remember, it's coach Roth while we're in there, and we don't know each other."

Amy nodded back. "Got it." She opened her car door. "Later, Dean." She slammed the door closed before hurrying inside the school.

Amy's classes seemed to flash by today, as she waited anxiously to get out. It wasn't until her History class, before lunch, that something finally happened.

A blood-curdling scream rang out through the school. Amy instantly kicked into hunter mode and dashed out of the room, ignoring her teacher's orders to return to the classroom as she followed the screams that continued through the halls.

Amy reached the Home Economics classroom at the same time as Sam, who was dressed in a janitor's uniform. She pushed her way through a crowd of students who were hurrying out of the same classroom. A boy inside the room collapsed to the ground just as Sam reached him. A black goo like substance began to run out of the boy's ears.

"Is that-?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Ectoplasm," he confirmed. "Looks like Barry wasn't our ghost."

"Did you and Dean find any reports on someone besides Barry, who died in the school?"

Sam shook his head. "No. Barry was the only one. That we could find, at least."

"There's gotta be something we missed, then."

* * *

A school-wide, nonviolence assembly was called during lunch. Amy skipped it to search the school with Sam for EMF again, but Dean was required to attend, promising to meet up with them once he was able to sneak out.

Amy searched one side of the school while Sam searched the other. She waved her EMF meter around as she walked down the hallway, but so far, had found nothing. As she turned the corner, she spotted Sam, coming up on the other side and hurried up to him.

"Find anything?" Sam asked as she approached.

Amy shook her head. "Nada. You?"

"No, nothing," Sam replied. "Dean still in the assembly?"

"Doesn't look like it," Amy said as she spotted Dean coming up behind Sam.

Sam turned around as Dean met up with them. "How's the nonviolence assembly going?" he asked.

"Apparently, shoving a kid's arm into a Cuisinart is not a 'healthy display of anger'," Dean informed them. "So, the kid had ectoplasm leaking out his ear?"

Sam nodded. "Looks like Amy was right about it being ghost possession."

"But we were wrong about who the ghost was," Amy added. "Are you guys sure there wasn't anyone else who died in this school?"

Dean shook her head. "We checked every record. The only person who died inside this school was that kid, Barry Cook. There's gotta be something we missed." Without another word, Dean began walking towards the main entrance. Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before following him out to the Impala.

Dean pulled out the file on Barry Cook once they were back in the car, and began reviewing it. "No way," he finally said.

"What is it?" Amy asked, leaning across the front seat to get a good look.

"Check it out." Dean started pointing to some names in the file. "Look, Martha Dumptruck and Revenge of the Nerds - they rode the same bus."

"So, what?" Sam asked. "The bus is haunted?"

Dean shrugged. "Well, that would explain why there's no EMF at the school, but not the attacks," he said. "I mean, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail."

"But if they possess a person, can't they go as far as they want?" Amy asked. "At least until they leave whoever they're possessing?"

"It's possible," Sam confirmed. "I mean, there's lore about ghosts possessing people and riding them for miles. Then, whenever they leave the body, they're bungeed back to their usual haunt. But until then, the ghost can go wherever it wants."

"So, a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?" Dean asked.

"It's possible."

Dean scoffed. "Ghosts getting creative. Well, that's super. Alright, well, we better check out this ghost before school gets out."

* * *

Within ten minutes, Amy found herself standing in the bus.

Sam pulled out his EMF and moved towards the back of the bus, a sawed-off in his hand. The EMF was buzzing, red lights flashing on the top. "Definitely ain't clean," he told them.

"Here, ghosty, ghosty," Dean called out. He hit the metal roof with the barrel of his gun.

Amy scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll work, Dean. Keep trying."

Sam glanced up. "I don't get it. I mean, no one ever died on a bus, and it's not like there's a body hidden here."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "but a flap of skin, hair, hell, a hangnail. Something's gotta be tying the ghost to this place."

"I doubt we're gonna find something that small, though."

Dean moved to the front of the bus and began rifling through the compartments. "Hey," he called out.

"What?"

"Got a driver's permit, issued three weeks ago."

Sam walked up to the front of the bus. "Just before the first attack."

"Yeah." Dean showed them the permit. "Name of the driver is Dirk McGregor Sr., thirty-nine North Central Avenue."

"McGregor?" Sam repeated.

Dean looked up. "Yeah, why?"

"I knew his son," Sam admitted.

Dean looked at his brother in disbelief. "Did you know everyone at this school?"

Sam chuckled in half-amusement but didn't say anything.

Dean shook his head. "Let's go talk to this McGregor guy, then." He led the way out of the bus and back to the Impala.

* * *

It was a twenty-minute drive to McGregor's house. Sam introduced himself as someone who knew Dirk Jr. in high school, and they were led into the house. They took a seat on the couch across from the old man.

"So, you were friends with Dirk?" Mr. McGregor asked Sam curiously.

Sam nodded. "Yes, in high school."

"I don't recall Dirk having many friends at Truman," the old man replied in a puzzled tone.

Amy gave the old man a comforting smile. "He sounds like a great kid, though," she said, making up a lie on the spot, "these guys talk about him a lot."

"So, when did Dirk pass?" Dean asked, trying to sound compassionate about the subject.

"He was eighteen," Mr. McGregor replied.

"What happened?" Sam asked sadly.

Mr. McGregor got a sorrowful look on his face. "Well, first, drinking, then drugs, then, too many drugs, and he just slipped away through my fingers." He looked down at the floor. "It was my fault," he admitted, "I should have seen him coming, you know?" He glanced back up at the trio. "Dirk, he, uh - well, he had his fair share of troubles."

"What kind of troubles?" Dean asked.

Mr. McGregor sighed. "School was never easy for Dirk. We didn't have much money, and well, you know kids - they can be cruel. They picked on him."

Sam's eyes widened in confusion. "They picked on him?" he repeated.

Mr. McGregor nodded sadly. "They called him poor and dirty and stupid. They even had a nickname for him. Dirk the jerk." He sighed. "And after what happened to his mother..."

"His mother?" Sam asked, feeling guilty.

"Yeah, Jane, my wife," the old man admitted in a heartbroken voice. "She died when Dirk was thirteen. Cancer. I was working three jobs, so it fell to Dirk to take care of her. And he was a great kid. He made sure Jane got her medicine. He helped her, cleaned up after her. But, you know, you - you watch somebody die slowly, waste away to nothing... it does things to a person. Horrible things."

"Must have been awful," Amy said sadly.

"I didn't know about his mother," Sam said in a guilt-stricken voice.

The old man shook his head. "He wouldn't talk about her," he admitted. "Lots of anger in that boy."

"I'm sorry," Sam apologized.

The room became quiet. The sound of a ticking clock was the only noise that filled the air for a brief moment.

"Mr. McGregor," Amy said softly, "we would love to pay our respects to your son. Would you mind telling us where he was buried?"

The old man smiled kindly at her. "Oh, he wasn't. I had him cremated."

"All of him?" Dean wondered out loud.

Mr. McGregor cast a suspicious look at Dean. "Well, I kept a lock of his hair," he admitted.

"Oh, that - that's nice. Where do you keep that?" Dean asked carelessly.

Mr. McGregor gave him a hard expression. "On my bus, in my Bible."

Dean just nodded his head and smiled.

The trio excused themselves from the household and made their way to the Impala. Dean sped down the road to the school, so they finally put an end to Dirk's ghost.

* * *

Dean sped into the school parking lot, only to find that the bus had already left.

"Damn it," he swore. "Okay, you guys wait here, I'll go find out where that bus is going."

Not leaving any room for argument, Dean ran inside the school. Amy leaned against the window as she and Sam sat in silence, waiting for him to return.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Dean came back out. He got into the Impala and handed Sam a slip of paper.

"They're heading to a football game a few miles from here," Dean informed them.

"I know where that is," Sam said, pointing to the destination on the paper, "there's only one road that leads up that way."

Dean nodded. "Lead the way, Sammy." He started the engine and pulled back out of the parking lot.

* * *

Dean drove a few miles ahead of the bus, parking the Impala on the side of the road, far enough ahead so they could get ready.

Amy helped Sam drench a rope in saltwater while Dean laid out spike traps on the road.

"You get Dirk," Dean instructed his brother as they waited for the bus. "Amy and I will get the hair."

Amy nodded as she made sure her sawed-off was loaded. "Got it."

* * *

Five minutes later, two headlights appeared down the road. They were approaching quickly.

"Alright," Dean said, "get ready." They hid behind the Impala as the bus approached.

The bus sped over the spike trap, and the tires burst, causing the bus to swerve before coming to a stop.

Sam walked up to the bus as a middle-aged man stepped out. He cocked his shotgun. "Dirk!" he shouted.

Dirk turned around while Dean and Amy snuck around behind the ghost with the saltwater-soaked rope. "Winchester," Dirk sneered. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

Sam lowered his gun. "Don't need to."

Dean quickly wrapped the rope around the ghost, tying it tightly.

"That rope is soaked in saltwater, Dirk," Sam continued. "You're not going anywhere."

Amy quickly followed Dean onto the bus. She began searching for the lock of hair, while Dean addressed the team.

"All right, everybody stay where you are. You'll be okay," Dean informed them.

"Aren't you the P.E. Teacher?" the football coach asked Dean.

"And aren't you - wait...Amy?" a familiar voice called out.

Amy looked up to see Eric sitting towards the back of the bus.

"We're more like '21 Jump Street'," Dean explained. At the student's confused looks, he added, "the bus driver sells pot. Yeah."

Amy riffled through the pages of the bible, looking for the lock of hair. After not finding it, she slammed the book closed. "It's not here," she called out to Sam. She followed Dean back out of the bus.

Sam turned back to Dirk, aiming his gun. "Where is it?" he demanded.

"No way you'll ever find it," Dirk taunted.

Sam grabbed Dirk's shirt, shoving the ghost into the side of the bus. "Where is it?!" he shouted.

Dirk shook his head in disappointment. "Sam Winchester. Still a bully. You, you jocks... you popular kids... you always thought you were better than everybody else. And to you, I was just Dirk the jerk, right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you."

"I'm not evil, Dirk," Sam replied, lowering his gun. "I'm not. And neither were you. Trust me. I've seen real evil. We were scared and miserable, and we took it out on each other - us and everybody else. That's high school. But you suffer through that, and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that... you or Barry."

Sam's speech seemed to anger Dirk even more. "Nothing is gonna get better for me," he snapped. "Not ever." He broke out of the ropes like they were nothing and began approaching the hunters. Sam quickly fired two salt rounds into the man's chest, and the body collapsed to the ground. The hunters exchanged a glance before cautiously approaching the bus driver.

As they were approaching the driver, another student grabbed Sam from behind. Amy quickly grabbed the student, using all her strength to pull him off, Sam. Dean fired a salt round, which missed the student, hitting the side of the bus instead.

"Dean! Find the hair!" Sam yelled as he dodged a punch from Dirk.

Dean ran up to the bus driver, who was still lying on the ground and began looking through his pockets.

The student grabbed ahold of Amy, pinning her to the bus. She moved her head out of the way as he threw a punch at her, barely dodging it. Sam quickly pulled the student off her, punching him in the face.

"Hey, buddy, this isn't what it looks like," Dean said as he rummaged through the driver's pockets. He quickly found the lock of hair and took out his lighter, setting the hair on fire.

The student let out a scream and fell on top of Sam as Dirk was exorcised out of his body. Amy slid onto the ground, sitting against the side of the bus.

Sam struggled and strained under the weight of the student. "Little help?" he wheezed.

Dean glanced over at his brother and grimaced. "He's giving you the full cowgirl," he joked.

Amy rolled her eyes as she caught her breath, while Sam struggled to get out from under the student on top of him.

* * *

**December 13th, 2008 - Truman High**

Amy sat with Dean in the Impala as they waited for Sam to return. Sam had wanted to say goodbye to a former teacher of his, and Dean had decided not to argue about it.

As they waited for Sam to return, Amy spotted a familiar face exiting the building. She opened the backseat door and stepped out.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"I've gotta do something, real quick," Amy stated simply, before closing her car door and walking up to the school.

Eric stood in front of the school, waiting for her. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," Amy echoed.

"So..." Eric began, "last night-"

"Yeah," Amy said, "sorry, I couldn't tell you."

Eric shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said. He paused for a moment. "So, you're not really a student, then, are you?"

Amy shook her head. She smirked. "I actually graduated a little over a year ago."

"Wait, how old are you?" Eric asked.

"Nineteen."

Eric looked shocked. "Whoa."

Amy saw Sam leave the school. He gave her a quick glance before walking back to the Impala. A moment later, Dean honked the horn and began gesturing for her to hurry up.

"I better get going," Amy stated.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, me too," he said. "See ya around?"

Amy shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Maybe."

"Well, here's hoping," Eric said. "Bye, Amy."

"Later, Eric." Amy quickly ran off, hopping into the backseat of the Impala.

"So, who was that?" Dean asked.

"Eric," Amy replied. "He was in my English class and helped me find a couple of my classes the other day."

Dean looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "Hmm," he said, giving her a small smirk.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Can we just get going?"

Dean chuckled slightly as he pulled the Impala out of the Truman high parking lot. Amy folded up her jacket, using it as a pillow against the window while she closed her eyes to get some rest as Dean sped down the road.


	22. Death Takes a Holiday

**December 18th, 2008 - Bedford, Iowa**

“Alright, what should we put on?” Dean asked Amy. 

Amy looked at the selection of songs in the jukebox that stood in front of her at the diner. They had recently finished a case involving a siren and had stopped to get something to eat on their way out of town.

“I don’t know,” Amy replied. 

“Oh come on,” Dean urged. “Pick anything.”

“Okay.” Amy pushed the button for the song ‘Ramble On’ by Led Zeppelin. 

Dean nodded in approval. “Nice choice.”

They walked back over to the table Sam was sitting at. He was getting off the phone with Bobby when they approached.

“No, no, no, you're right, it's definitely weird,” Sam was saying. He nodded as Amy and Dean sat down. “Okay, Bobby, thanks.” Sam finished his call and put his phone away.

“What's up?” Dean asked.

Sam started typing something on his computer. “Bobby found something in Wyoming,” he informed them.

“A job?”

Sam shrugged. “Maybe. Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half.”

“What’s so weird about that?” Amy asked.

“Well, it's how they're not dying,” Sam explained. “One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice. Another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch.”

“Capped in the ass?” Dean asked.

Sam spun his laptop around so Dean and Amy could see the screen. He had an article open with a headline that read ‘Shooting victim walks away unharmed’ and had a subheading that read ‘Man miraculously survives after direct shot to heart’. 

“Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point-blank range by a nine-millimeter,” Sam explained. 

“And he's not a doughnut?” Dean asked, his mouth full of the burger he had been eating.

“Locals are saying it's a miracle.”

Amy scoffed. “That is some miracle.”

“It's got to be something nasty, right?” Sam asked. “I mean people making deals or something.”

Dean seemed to consider this. “You think?”

“A whole town, though?” Amy asked.

“What else would it be?” Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. “I don't know.”

Sam nodded. “All right.” He put his laptop in his bag and then pointed at Dean’s burger. “Get that to go.”

Dean looked down at the burger but didn’t move.

“Come on.” Sam urged. He picked up his bag and Amy stood up, ready to follow them out of the diner.

Dean stayed seated, choosing to only pick up his burger and take another bite.

“What?” Sam asked, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

Dean glanced away. “Sure you want me going with you?”

Sam looked confused. “Why wouldn't I?”

“I don't want to be holding you back or nothing,” Dean questioned.

“Dean...” Amy muttered. While under the influence of the siren during their last case, Sam had told Dean and Amy that they were too weak. That he was a better hunter than the two of them combined. Amy had forgiven Sam, knowing he was only under the influence of a spell, but Dean hadn’t been too quick to do the same. 

Sam groaned. “Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was the siren talking, not me.”

Dean took another bite of his burger, not replying.

“Can we get past this?” Sam asked.

Dean put the burger down and brushed off his hands. “Yeah, we're past it,” he said as he stood up and walked out the door. 

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before following Dean to the Impala.

* * *

**December 19th, 2008 - Greybull, Wyoming**

They reached Jim Jenkins’ house early the next afternoon.

“So, what’s our cover?” Dean asked.

“Bloggers?” Sam suggested. “We could tell him we want to write a story about what happened to him.”

“Sounds believable enough,” Amy added.

Dean nodded. “Alright, let’s get going.”

Sam grabbed a small notepad and a pen, and the hunters got out of the car. Dean led the way up to the front door and rang the doorbell. 

A minute later, the door opened and a man appeared at the door. “Yes?”

“Good afternoon,” Sam greeted. “Are you Jim Jenkins?”

Jim nodded. “Yes. And you are?”

“We work on a blog site,” Dean stated. “We heard what happened and wanted to get your story if that was okay.”

Jim looked between the three hunters briefly, before he finally nodded and stepped to the side. “Come on in.”

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the house. Jim led them into the kitchen and sat down at the dining room table. Sam, Dean, and Amy took a seat across from him.

“Now, you three said you were bloggers?” Jim asked

Sam nodded. “Yes, sir. Floored by the Lord dot com.”

Dean smiled. “All of God's glory fit to blog,” he added.

Amy discreetly rolled her eyes before turning to Jim. “People around town are saying it’s a miracle what happened to you.”

Jim nodded. “It was. Plain as day.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sam asked.

“How else do you explain it?” Jim asked. “The doctors can't.” He leaned forward. “There's a bullet in my heart, and it's pumping like a piston.”

“Well, how do you explain it?” Dean questioned.

Jim hesitated for a moment. He looked over at a little girl who was playing in the living room behind him, before turning back to the hunters. “Look, honestly.” Jim let out a sigh. “I was nobody's saint—not exactly father of the year, either.”

Dean nodded. “Okay.”

“But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop?” Jim continued. “I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance.”

“That so?” Dean asked in an accusatory tone.

“I had this feeling,” Jim said, “like angels were watching over me.” Jim paused for a moment, before waving a hand and leaning back in his chair. “I wouldn't expect you guys to understand.”

Dean smiled. “Well, we'll just have to try.”

“You wouldn't have happened to have swung by a crossroads in the past week or so?” Sam asked.

“No,” Jim replied, clearly confused.

“Have you ever met someone with red or black eyes?” Amy asked.

Jim leaned forward again. “Who'd you guys say you were again?”

The hunters exchanged a quick glance. 

“Never mind,” Dean said as he stood up. “Thank you for your time.”

Dean quickly made his way out of the house, Sam and Amy right on his heel.

“That was close,” Dean said as he pulled the Impala away from the house.

“But it begs the question,” Sam replied, “if Jim didn’t make a deal, then what the hell is going on around here?”

* * *

Dean drove them back to the motel. Sam took the Impala to talk to the cancer survivor while Amy and Dean tried to find who the last person to die was. 

Amy paced around the room while Dean read the town obituary on his laptop. 

“Okay, here,” Dean said, getting her attention. 

Amy leaned over Dean’s chair. “What up?”

“Cole Griffith.” Dean pointed to a picture of a kid who looked no older than eleven or twelve. “He died ten days ago. Last death I could find.”

“So, what the hell is going on around here?” Amy asked.

Dean shrugged. “Miracles?”

Amy scoffed. “I doubt it.”

“Well, there’s no sign of a deal,” Dean pointed out. “No faith healers. What else could it be?”

Amy thought for a moment. She paced back and forth in front of the beds.

“No demon deals, no faith healers,” she said, “and nobody is dying.” She turned back to Dean. “When you die, that’s when a reaper comes in and takes your soul, right?”

Dean nodded and leaned forward. “Right.”

“What if this town doesn’t have one?” Amy asked.

“Okay, you lost me.”

“I’m saying, what if something happened to the local reaper and they’re not around anymore.”

“What, like a strike?” Dean asked. 

“Or something worse,” Amy added. “I doubt an entire town of people made demon deals. So, either everyone has just gotten super lucky all of a sudden, or there’s just simply no reaper around.”

Dean pondered this for a moment. “You might be onto something there,” he finally said. “Sam should be back at any moment. Let’s see what he says about all this when he gets back.”

* * *

Amy watched TV while Dean did some more digging on his laptop. It wasn’t until late that night until Sam finally returned. 

“Hey,” Sam greeted. 

Dean looked up from his laptop. “Anything?”

Amy walked over as Sam sat at the table. 

“That cancer survivor?” Sam began. “He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug, and now he's taking her out for their twentieth anniversary.”

“Any sign of a deal?” Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. “No. What about you guys? Found anyone dying around here?”

“The last person that died in this town was a kid named Cole Griffith,” Amy explained. “He died about ten days ago.”

Dean showed Sam a picture of Cole. “It was the last death we could find.”

“So, what are you thinking?” Sam asked.

“Well, Amy was thinking-” Dean paused briefly. “Actually, you know what? I’ll just let her tell you.”

“All I was thinking, was what if the reason no one is dying is just because death just isn’t around?”

“As in, there’s no reaper around?”

Amy shrugged. “It was just a theory. But when you die, that’s what a reaper is for, right? But if something happened to the reaper...”

“Then no one dies,” Sam finished. 

Dean poured himself a cup of coffee. “So what? The local reaper's on strike? Playing the back nine? I don't know.”

“Well, then, let's talk to somebody who might,” Sam suggested.

“Well, last I checked, huggy bear ain't available,” Dean said.

“Huh?” Amy asked

Sam let out a small laugh. “No, dude, the kid.”

“The kid?” Dean questioned. “The kid's a doornail.”

Sam nodded. “Exactly. Look, if he was the last person to die around here, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him.”

“I love how you say that as if it’s something everyone does on a daily basis,” Amy said with a smile.

Dean nodded. “Strange lives.”

“Okay, so, how are we supposed to talk to this kid?” Amy asked.

Sam sat down at his laptop. “There’s a ritual that’ll summon his spirit to us. It needs to be performed over Cole’s grave.”

“So, as long as Cole wasn’t cremated, we should be able to talk to him,” Amy said.

Dean took a look at the obituary he had open. “Looks like he was buried at the local cemetery.”

“Well, that covers that,” Amy said. “How do we do this ritual?”

“It’s pretty easy,” Sam said, looking at his laptop screen. “We just need a few candles and this spell here. If done correctly, we should be able to talk to Cole.”

Amy nodded. “Let’s go talk to a ghost, then.”

* * *

The hunters gathered everything they needed for the ritual and headed to the nearest cemetery. Once they found Cole’s grave, they set up five candles around a pentacle that Sam had drawn on a cloth. Sam dropped some sticks in the middle of the pentacle, while Dean sat on another gravestone and flipped through their dad’s journal.

“You sure this is gonna work?” Dean asked.

“No,” Sam admitted, “but if his spirit's around, this should smoke him out.”

“And if it doesn’t work, then what?” Amy asked.

“Then we’ll figure something else out,” Sam told her.

Dean closed the journal as Sam poured something into a wooden bowl and set it in front of Cole’s gravestone. 

“What?” Sam asked, noticing Dean’s worried expression.

Dean sighed. “This job is jacked, that's what.”

“How so?” Sam asked.

“You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up, right? But this?” Dean gestured to the scene in front of him. “If we fix whatever this is, people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people.”

“Good people die all the time, Dean,” Amy pointed out. “I hate it too, but it’s just how things work in the world.”

Sam stood back up. “Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order.”

Dean scoffed. “You're kidding, right?”

“What?” Sam asked.

“You don't see the irony in that?” Dean asked back. “I mean, you and me, we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death.”

“Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they?”

Dean stared at his brother for a moment. “We're no different than anybody else.”

“I'm infected with demon blood, you've been to hell,” Sam yelled. He pointed to Amy. “She has telekinetic powers. Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. And neither is she. The sooner you accept that the better off you're gonna be.”

Dean looked up at the sky and let out a slight laugh. “Ah, Joe the Plumber was a douche.”

Amy shook her head. “That’s what you got from all that?”

“You gonna help me finish this?” Sam asked.

Dean nodded and stood up from the gravestone.

“Hey!” a voice shouted at them.

Amy looked over to see a man standing near them, shining a flashlight on the set-up for the ritual.

“What are you doing here?” the man asked.

“We, uh-” Amy began.

Sam glanced over at Dean, hoping for some help. “Just take it easy,” he told the man.

“What the hell is this?” the man asked, gesturing to the ritual. 

“Okay, this—this—this is not what it looks like,” Dean replied, laughing nervously.

“Really? 'Cause it looks like devil worship.”

“What?” Dean asked, even more nervously. “No! No, this is not devil worship. This—This is—this—this is, uh—” He sighed in defeat. “I don't have a good answer.”

Sam held a hand out in front of him. “We're leaving.”

“You're not going anywhere,” the man said with a sinister grin. He took a step forward as Sam frowned. “Ever again. Sam.”

Amy felt her heart skip a beat. “Damn it,” she hissed.

The man turned to Dean, revealing a pair of white eyes.

“Alastair,” Dean acknowledged. “I thought you got deep-fried, extra-crispy.”

Amy reached for her gun, ready to fire it if needed.

“Nah,” the demon said with a sneer. “Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway.” Alastair paused as he turned to Sam, who stood there fuming. “No time to chat. Got a hot date with death.”

Alastair flicked his hand and Amy was suddenly thrown one direction while Dean was thrown the other. She barely had any time to brace herself as she collided with a gravestone. Every bone in her body ached as she lay on the broken rubble, trying to catch her breath.

Amy turned her head to the side to see Sam still standing in front of Alastair. The demon flicked his hand towards Sam, but nothing happened. Then he said something Amy couldn’t quite hear. Sam flicked his wrist towards Alastair and Amy watched in a mix of shock and amazement as the demon went flying across the graveyard. Sam raised his hand again to exorcise Alastair, but the demon fled before he could.

With a groan, Amy slowly stood up, ignoring the pain that shot through her back. Dean was still on the ground and Sam hurried over. Amy moved as quickly as she could across the graveyard to join the brothers.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked Dean.

Dean groaned. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just get back to the motel room.”

Amy helped Sam get Dean into the car before climbing into the backseat.

“What the hell happened back there?” Dean asked as Sam pulled away from the graveyard.

“I don’t know,” Sam said. “Alastair tried to fling me like he did with you guys and he couldn’t.” 

* * *

**December 20th, 2008 - Broken Saddle Motel**

Sam pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the motel just after midnight. He stayed outside to call Bobby while Amy and Dean headed inside the room. As soon as they were inside, Dean immediately grabbed an ice pack, holding it to his head as he lay on the bed. 

“You doing alright, kiddo?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Amy said as she sat on the other bed. “My back hurts, but I’ll be fine. What about you?”

“Just peachy,” Dean said with a groan.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sam came back into the room.

“How are you doing?” Sam asked.

“I'm in pain, that's how I'm doing,” Dean replied. “I think I have a concussion.”

“You want some aspirin?” Sam asked.

Dean sat up. “No thanks, House. So, demons, huh?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. So much for miracles. Amy, how about you? You haven’t said much since the graveyard.”

“I’m fine,” Amy replied. “Just a little bruised, I think.”

“What the hell happened with Alastair again?” Dean asked.

“I told you, he tried to fling me or whatever.” Sam flicked his hand the way Alastair had done. “And it didn't work, so he bailed.”

Sam walked over to the coffee pot, giving Amy a pleading look as if asking her not to tell Dean what she had seen. 

“Well, how come he couldn't fling you?” Dean continued. “He chucked you pretty good last time.”

Sam turned to Dean, pausing for a moment. “Got no idea,” he finally said, turning back to the coffee pot.

Dean nodded. “Sam, do me a favor,” he said. “If you're gonna keep your little secrets, I can't really stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot, okay?”

“What?” Sam asked, turning around. “Dean, I'm not keeping secrets.”

“Mm-hm,” Dean replied, obviously not believing his brother. “Whatever. So, did you go back and Q&A the dead kid?”

Sam held up a thin notebook. “Didn't have to. Bobby called. He did some digging.”

“And?”

“Looks like Amy might be right.”

“So the reaper is gone?” Amy asked. 

Sam nodded. “Not just gone. Kidnapped.”

“By demons?” Dean asked. “Why?”

“Listen to this.” Sam opened up the notebook and began reading from it. "And he bloodied death under the newborn sky—sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured."

“And that means what, exactly?” Amy asked.

“Well, it's from a very obscure, very arcane version of Revelations,” Sam explained.

“Which means what I think it means?” Dean asked.

“Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon—tomorrow night, by the way—you got yourself a broken seal.”

“Of course it’s tomorrow,” Amy muttered. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“How do you ice a reaper?” Dean asked. “You can't kill death.”

Sam shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe demons can.” He sighed, sitting at the table by the door. “Where the hell are the angels, is what I want to know. We could use their help for once.”

“Pretty sure most of them don’t really care,” Amy huffed.

“It looks like we're gonna have to take care of this one ourselves,” Dean said.

Sam scoffed. “What are we gonna do, just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?”

Dean shrugged. “You got a better idea, I'm all ears.”

“And how exactly would we do that?” Amy asked. “We can’t see them.”

“The only people that can see them are the dead and the dying,” Sam explained. 

“Like how you saw Tessa in that one episode,” Amy continued.

“Who’s Tessa?” Sam asked.

“Reaper,” Dean explained. “I met her when we had that car crash and I was in a coma. And if ghosts are the only ones that can see them...” Dean trailed off.

“Yeah?” 

“Then we become ghosts,” Dean continued. He put the ice pack back on his head with a smirk.

Amy nodded. “Yes, but see the thing about that, is I would prefer to not die before I reach my twenties.”

Dean nodded. “Sounds crazy, I know.”

“It is crazy,” Sam agreed. 

Dean smirked again.

“How?” Sam asked.

Dean removed the ice pack again and put it to the side. “Figured Pamela might be able to help. I’m sure this is something she knows how to do.”

“Yeah, but will she actually agree to it?” Amy asked. “I mean, if this goes wrong, we’d basically be asking her to kill us, right?”

“Well then let’s hope it doesn’t go wrong,” Dean replied. He stood up from the bed. “Pamela’s place is a few hours from here. I’ll drive down there, pick her up, we should be back by morning.”

“You sure you’re okay to drive?” Sam asked.

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Alright, you guys stay here, I’ll go get Pamela and bring her back.”

Amy nodded. “Okay. See you in a bit.”

Dean grabbed his keys and walked out of the motel room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**December 21st, 2008**

The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Sam opened it up to see Pamela at the door with Dean standing behind her.

“I can't even begin to tell you how crazy you guys are,” Pamela said as soon as the door was opened. She held her hands out in front of her, feeling the counter and then the chair, before sitting down.

Amy smiled. “Hey, Pamela,” she greeted.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Sam said. 

Pamela lowered her sunglasses far enough to reveal the white plastic eyes. “Aw, that's sweet, grumpy,” she said before putting the glasses back. “What do you say to deaf people?”

Amy smirked as Sam and Dean looked around uncomfortably.

“Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?” Pamela asked. 

Dean raised a hand. “Yo.”

Pamela nodded. “Of course. Chachi.”

“Chachi?” Dean mouthed. Sam and Amy shrugged, unsure of what Pamela meant.

“So, let's be clear,” Pamela continued. “You want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?”

“Pretty much,” Amy replied.

“Do you have any idea how heavy-duty insane that is?” Pamela asked, folding her arms.

“Maybe, but that's where the reaper is, so...”

Pamela cut Dean off. “So, it's nuts.”

Dean shrugged. “Not if you know what you're doing.”

“You don't know what you're doing.”

“No, but you do,” Dean pointed out.

Pamela nodded. “Yeah, I do. And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon, Soc-Greaser crap.”

“Look, I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching Judge Judy, too,” Dean began.

“Nice,” Pamela said sarcastically. “More blind jokes?”

“You know what I mean,” Dean muttered. “We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing.” Dean paused. “We need your help.”

“Please, Pamela,” Amy added. “We wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t important.”

Pamela sighed. “Fine.”

Sam sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Pamela replied. “Soon as this is over, I want out. For good.”

Sam nodded. “Deal.”

Amy helped Sam and Dean set up candles around the room. Dean set a candle on the bedside table while Sam closed the curtains in the room. 

“Tell me something, geniuses,” Pamela said as they set everything up. “Even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?”

“With style and class,” Dean replied.

You're gonna be three walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything,” Pamela countered. “You'll be defenseless, hotshot.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Amy said. “We always do.”

“Besides,” Sam added, “I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us.”

“Yeah, well, they had plenty of time to practice,” Pamela reminded them.

Dean shrugged. “Well, then, I guess we got to start cramming.”

“Wow, real heroes you guys are,” Pamela said. She patted one of the beds. “All right. Lie down. Close your eyes.”

Sam lay diagonally across one of the beds while Amy and Dean lay down on the other one, closing their eyes.

“ _Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis_ ,” Pamela chanted. “Okay, guys. That's it. Showtime.”

Amy opened her eyes and sat up, looking around. Pamela was leaning back in the chair. 

Dean sat up next to her. “Well, nothing like shooting blanks,” he said. “What's plan B?”

Pamela didn’t reply. 

Amy and Dean exchanged a glance. “Pamela?” Amy asked.

Dean looked over at Sam’s body lying on the bed. At the same time, Sam appeared behind Dean. Amy glanced over her shoulder to see her own body lying next to Dean’s.

“Okay, this is freaky,” Amy muttered.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed.

Dean smiled. “Oh, I'm so feeling up Demi Moore.”

Amy groaned. “Dude...”

“All right, so, I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow,” Pamela spoke up. “Remember I have to bring you back.” She stood up, walking over to Sam’s body as Dean and Amy watched. “I'll whisper the incantation in your ear.”

Pamela leaned over Sam and whispered something that Amy couldn’t hear. Sam grinned. 

“What'd she—” Dean looked up at his brother. “What'd she say?”

Sam shrugged, a smirk plastered on his face. He cleared his throat. “We should get going.”

Dean nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean outside. They walked down the street, looking around at their surroundings. A jogger ran up to them but didn’t stop, running straight through Sam.

“That was wild,” Dean commented. 

Sam looked at Dean incredulously as Dean stuck an arm through his chest. 

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Dean asked as Sam glared at him. Amy held back a chuckle.

“Get out of me,” Sam snapped.

Dean rolled his eyes as he pulled his arm out of Sam. “You're such a prude. Come on.” He continued walking down the street, Sam and Amy close behind.

* * *

Amy sighed as they walked down another street. “It’s been hours and we haven’t seen any demons,” she said. 

“I say we hit Victoria's Secret and get our peep on, huh?” Dean suggested.

Sam nudged Dean, pointing up to a window on their right. “Hey. Three o'clock. The kid in the window.”

Amy looked up. Staring out at them through a window on the second story of a house was a young boy. 

“Is that- that looks like Cole Griffith,” Amy said.

“That’s because it is,” Dean replied. “Cole Griffith, the last person to die in this town.”

Cole flickered in the window before vanishing. 

“Come on,” Dean said. He walked up to the door, hesitating slightly before walking straight through the closed door.

Dean led Sam and Amy up the stairs. A woman ran straight through them, crying as she hurried out of the room. Cole was standing next to a dresser, throwing balls out of the room.

“Stop!” Dean yelled as he dodged a basketball. “How are you doing that?”

“Who are you?” Cole demanded.

“Relax, Cole,” Sam said quietly. “It's okay.”

“How do you know my name?” Cole asked.

Sam approached Cole. “Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear, but...you're—dead. You're a spirit. Us too.”

Cole scoffed. “Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel. I know I'm dead. What do you want?”

“We just want to talk,” Sam replied.

“About what?” Cole asked.

Amy stepped forward. “About you.” She paused for a moment. “Cole...how did you die?” she finally asked.

Cole didn’t reply as he walked out of the room and back down the stairs.

The hunters walked downstairs to find Cole leaning against a wall as he watched his mother pour herself a drink. 

“I was outside all morning,” Cole informed them, turning around. “They tell you to be careful when it's cold.”

“Cold air can cause an asthma attack?” Dean asked.

Cole nodded with a shrug. “But then I was in my room.” He sighed. “It happened so fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning, and then I was just standing there, looking down at my body.”

“And that's when you saw the man?” Sam asked.

Cole nodded again. “Creepy old guy in a black suit. He wanted me to go with him, but...” he trailed off, looking back at his mother. “I didn't want to go.”

“Reaper,” Sam whispered to Dean and Amy. “How'd you get rid of him?” he asked Cole.

“I didn't,” Cole replied. “The black smoke did.”

“Black smoke?” Dean asked.

“It was everywhere,” Cole said. “I hid in the closet, and when I came out, it was gone, and so was he.”

“Demon?” Amy asked quietly.

Sam nodded. “Must be,” he whispered.

“Do you know where the smoke went?” Dean asked.

“No,” Cole admitted. “But I know where it is.”

The lights around the house started flickering and everyone looked around.

“They're back,” Cole hissed.

“Who?” Dean asked.

Instead of answering, Cole flicked a few times before vanishing. A gust of wind hit Amy in the face as a faint, white, human-shaped figure rushed towards the stairs.

Dean quickly stood up, hurrying towards the stairs. “Hey! Hey! Wait! We need to talk to you!” he shouted after the figure.

The reaper turned to face them, before walking back down the stairs. Amy recognized her instantly. Tessa.

“Dean,” Tessa greeted.

“Do I know you?” Dean asked in confusion.

“We go way back,” Tessa replied.

“Tessa,” Amy confirmed.

The reaper looked at her in confusion. “Do I know you?” she asked.

Amy shook her head. “I know you, though.”

“So, you do know her,” Sam asked Dean.

“This is Tessa,” Dean said. “The one I told you about earlier.”

“So, this is the reaper that came after you?” Sam asked.

Dean nodded. “Yeah.”

Tessa turned to face Sam and Amy. “Well, this was fun,” she said before turning back to Dean. “Now, if you'll excuse me—” she turned away, but Dean grabbed her arm, stopping her.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” he said quickly, “you can't—you can't take the kid.”

Tessa turned back around. “Why?”

“Demons are in town, that's why,” Dean explained. “They've already snatched your reaper pal. The kid knows where.”

“So?” Tessa asked.

“So, you should get out of here before you get taken, too,” Amy replied.

“Except that this town is off the rails,” Tessa snapped. “And someone has to set it straight.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, we understand that, but these are special circumstances.”

Tessa scoffed. “What? Your whole angel-demon dance-off? I could care less. I just want to do my job.”

“Right, yeah, and, look, we want to help you do your job,” Sam began. “So, if you would just bail town—”

“No,” Tessa cut him off.

“Well, then, could you hold off until we fix this?” Dean asked. “Please.”

Tessa sighed. “All right, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid.”

Sam nodded. “Understood. I'll find him.” he turned to walk up the stairs.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Dean said. Sam turned back around. “What— what are you gonna say to him?”

Sam shrugged. “Whatever I have to.”

Amy watched Sam disappear up the stairs before turning back to Dean and Tessa.

“I'll tell you, life is funny,” Tessa said.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked.

“You and me, together again,” Tessa replied, moving closer to Dean.

“Are you—are you making a move on me?” Dean asked uneasily.

Tessa shook her head. “You're the one that got away, Dean. You'd be surprised how little that happens to me.”

“Can I tell you something,” Dean began. He looked over at Amy. “Between you and me?” he added.

Amy got the hint. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” She walked to the door, stepping outside.

* * *

Amy leaned against the railing of the porch as she watched a jogger run by. Now that she had a moment to herself, she began to think. It wouldn’t be long, probably only a few months or so, until Sam killed Lilith. She knew she couldn’t let that happen. She needed to figure out a good time to tell Sam and Dean about Ruby’s true intentions. Getting Dean to listen would be easy, but from past experience, Amy knew getting Sam to listen wouldn’t be as easy. 

Maybe, just maybe, she could get through to him though. Stop Sam from killing Lilith and breaking the final seal. It was a longshot, but if she did, maybe she could stop everything that was about to happen from happening. After all, what good was knowing about the future if she couldn’t do anything about it?

Dean poked his head out the door a minute later. 

Amy smirked as she looked at the upper half of his body phasing through the door. “You are having way too much fun being a ghost,” she said.

Dean nodded, stepping the rest of the way through the door. “Admit it, you think it’s fun too.”

Amy nodded as well. “Yeah, it is pretty fun,” she admitted. She took a step towards him. “And, uh, just so you know, if you wanna have even more fun, you can actually move things, like I can, now that you’re a ghost.”

Dean raised an eyebrow in interest. “You mean like, with my mind?”

Amy nodded. “Yep,” she confirmed.

Dean smiled mischievously. “You’re gonna have to show us how,” he said.

“I will,” Amy agreed. “I’m guessing Sam found Cole, then?”

Dean nodded. “Cole’s ready to tell us about the smoke he saw.”

Amy sighed. “Okay.” She followed Dean through the door. Sam was standing with Cole and Tessa in the living room. 

“It's okay, Cole,” Sam reassured the boy. “Just tell them what you told me.”

Cole nodded. “I saw the black smoke at my funeral.”

“At the cemetery?” Dean asked.

“At the funeral home,” Cole corrected. “It was everywhere.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the lights began flickering again.

“You doing that?” Dean asked, looking at Tessa.

“No.”

The front door opened and a huge cloud of black smoke filled the room. Amy ducked as it poured over her, waiting for the smoke to disappear. When it finally did, she raised her head, only to find Tessa now gone.

“Tessa!” Dean called out. 

“Cole, you okay?” Sam asked. The boy nodded.

“What the hell just happened?” Amy asked.

“And how the hell are we supposed to fight it?” Dean added.

Sam shrugged. “I don't know. Learn some ghost moves?”

“By tonight?” Dean scoffed. “Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's.”

“Who's Mr. Miyagi?” Cole asked. 

“It’ll take some time, but with Cole’s and my help, it shouldn’t take long.”

Cole scoffed. “You know ghost moves?” he asked.

“Well, I know a ghost move,” Amy corrected. “But I don’t know how to teleport or touch solid objects.”

“What exactly can you do, then?”

Amy closed her eyes, focusing her powers on the items around the room. The all-too-familiar sensation washed over her as she brought several, various items into the air and spun them around the room.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and put everything back down. “That,” she said simply.

“But my brother and I,” Dean cut in, “we can’t do any of that stuff. We were hoping you could show us.”

Cole nodded. “Alright, I’ll show you some basics,” he agreed.

Sam seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Cole.”

“We’ll work on moving things first,” Cole said. “That’s the easiest to learn.” He smirked as he looked over at Amy. “You can teach them that.”

* * *

Amy stood outside on the porch with Sam, Dean, and Cole. Dean was standing next to her while Sam and Cole watched from the doorway.

“Okay,” Dean said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically, “how do we do this?”

Amy let out a small laugh. “Alright, so, basically, all it is is just concentration,” she explained. “Here,” she pointed to the windmill, “just focus on the windmill there.” 

Dean locked his eyes onto the windmill staring at it with extreme intent.

“Okay, okay,” Amy said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not trying to make it explode."

Dean relaxed slightly. 

“That’s better.” Amy sighed. “Just, imagine there’s a string on the windmill.” 

Dean nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay, now focus on that string. Concentrate on it. Imagine something grabbing onto the string and pulling on it, using it to pull the windmill and make it turn.”

Dean took a deep breath. He stared intently at the windmill.

“It's not gonna move if you don't concentrate,” Cole called out.

“I am concentrating,” Dean insisted. He glared harder at the windmill.

“You’re not trying to make it explode, Dean,” Amy reminded him. “Just move a little.”

Dean looked over at her. “How the hell do you do this so easily?”

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Amy explained. “It just takes practice.”

Dean closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared at the windmill again, with less intent than the last time. A moment later, the windmill turned slightly.

“Ah, here we go, baby,” Dean said triumphantly.

Cole scoffed as he walked up to Amy and Dean. “You pull a muscle?”

“All right, Yoda, let's see what you got,” Dean challenged.

Cole looked at the windmill. It started spinning rapidly, not slowing down. Next to Amy, the porch swing started swinging while the wind chimes above Dean’s head started chiming.

Dean looked impressed. “Dude! You are so Amityville.”

Cole grinned. “This isn't even the good stuff.” He hurried inside, quickly followed by Sam, Dean, and Amy.

Cole was bouncing excitedly in the living room when they entered. He gestured for them to come closer. 

Sam walked up to Cole. “Alright, what did you want to show us?” he asked.

In response, Cole punched Sam in the stomach, causing the tall hunter to double over in pain.

“See?” Cole asked. “If you want to hit something, you just got to get mad.”

Sam straightened up. “Yeah, got it.”

Cole looked over at Dean. “Now you try. Hit me,” he challenged.

Dean laughed nervously. “Uh, I think I'll stick to just picking on somebody my own size.” he pointed to Sam. Cole punched him in the face, before turning to Amy.

“Hit me as hard as you can,” he urged.

Amy swung her fist towards Cole, only to have her attack blocked. Cole swung his fist at her face, but she quickly dodged, swinging another punch at the ghost kid.

Before Amy’s fist could connect with Cole, he vanished into thin air, reappearing across the room.

“Whoa. Whoa, you got to teach us that,” Dean told the kid.

Cole smiled. “It’s easy,” he explained. “Just focus on where you want to go. It has to be somewhere nearby that you can see, though.”

Amy picked a spot a few feet away from her and imagined herself there instead. A second later, she found herself standing on that exact spot, without even moving her feet.

“Whoa,” Amy said as she found her balance again. Moving to a new location so suddenly felt almost the same way as when Gabe had flown her places before. “That was awesome.”

“Oh, I have so got to try that,” Dean exclaimed.

* * *

Cole spent another few hours showing Sam, Dean, and Amy how to use their ghost powers. Amy worked with Sam on the telekinesis, but he quickly proved to be a fast learner, wasting no time in getting things to move. 

Before long, Cole had taught them all they needed to learn. 

“Thank you, Cole,” Amy said gratefully.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dean repeated.

“So, where are you guys going now?” Cole asked.

“Funeral home,” Sam explained. “We gotta get rid of this black smoke.”

Cole nodded. “Good luck.”

* * *

Amy stood in front of the funeral home with Sam and Dean later that night. The walls of the building were covered in several blue, glowing, figures. She watched as several people walked by, ignoring both the hunters and the glowing symbols.

“This looks like New Jack City,” Dean observed. He looked behind him as a woman walked by. “Can nobody can see this?” he asked.

Sam shrugged. “Maybe it's demon invisible ink. Only see it in the veil.”

“Any idea what it's for?” Dean asked.

“We'll find out.” 

Sam led them inside the funeral home. Amy followed Dean quietly down one hallway that led around a staircase, while Sam went the other way. The hallways met back up in another room and Sam shrugged, not having found anything.

They continued through the funeral home until they reached an open room. An eight-pointed-star was drawn in the center of the room, with different symbols drawn at each point. Lying in the star, was Tessa and another reaper. A man stood guard on the other side of the trap, his back towards the hunters.

“Dude, check me out,” Dean whispered. He took a few steps forward, before vanishing. He reappeared a few seconds later directly behind the man and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned around and Dean punched him in the face, vanishing before the man could straighten up and take a swing at him.

Amy teleported herself directly in front of the man. He stumbled backward and she took the opportunity to knee him in the stomach. Sam appeared behind the man kicked him in the back, pushing him over to Dean, who threw another punch to the stomach. 

The man scrambled away, hiding behind a coffin on a raised platform. The hunters exchanged a glance, before walking towards the platform. 

“You know, this ghost thing, it's, it's kind of rad,” Dean said as they approached the coffin.

As they walked past a curtain, another man ran out from behind it with a chain. His hands were smoking as he attached it to a hook. The first man from earlier quickly moved out of the way as the man with the chain attached it to a candle stand. 

Amy could see a faint barrier surrounding them where the iron chains were. The barrier stopped her in her tracks, preventing her from escaping the trap.

“It's iron,” Sam commented.

“Kinda figured that,” Amy replied.

The two men backed away from the chain as another man entered.

“You three find the place okay?” The demon rolled his eyes back, revealing the familiar white eyes of Alastair. He walked up to the chain as one of the other demons handed him a shotgun, before leaving with the first demon.

Alastair aimed the gun at Dean and pulled the trigger. Amy watched in a panic as Dean disintegrated before her eyes.

“Dean!” she cried out.

Alastair sneered. “Rock salt's not so much fun anymore, is it?”

Dean suddenly reappeared next to Amy. He let out a pained groan. “Alastair. You bastard.”

Alastair looked over at Sam. “Well, go on,” he taunted. “Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now, hotshot?”

Sam glared at the demon but didn’t say anything. 

“It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat, huh?” Alastair asked.

“Go to hell,” Sam snapped.

Alastair clicked his tongue. “Ah, if only I could.” He turned away from them, crossing the room. “But they just keep sending me back up to this arctic craphole.”

“Why?” Amy asked. “To kill death?”

“No, to kill death twice,” Alastair corrected. “It takes two to break a seal. I figured another one would show up, though. They're like lemmings.”

Alastair pumped the shotgun and fired it at Amy. She felt a sharp pain radiate through her entire body as if every atom inside her was torn to shreds. The room around her vanished for a moment before she suddenly found herself standing between Sam and Dean again. She glared at the demon, holding her pained stomach.

“Ah, that so?” Alastair was asking. He took out a small scythe. Anyhoo,” he said, turning the scythe around in his hands. “Moon's in the right spot. The board is set. Let's get started, shall we?”

“You're gonna kill a reaper with that?” Dean asked, nodding towards the scythe. He scoffed. “It's a little on the nose, don't you think?”

“Is it?” Alastair asked. “An old friend lent it to me. You know, he doesn't really ride a pale horse? But he does have three amigos.” The demon walked over to the reaper trap. “And they're just jonesing for the apocalypse.” He knelt down next to the old reaper. “It pays to have friends in low places,” he said as he grabbed the reaper by the collar and pulled him up. “Don't you think?”

Alastair put the scythe to the reaper’s neck. Amy looked around the room frantically for anything she could use. “ _Hic cruor messorius, illud sigillum_ ,” he chanted, “ _quod luciferem reverendum obstringit, aperiat ut resurgat_!” He pulled the scythe across the back of the reaper’s neck. Bright lights flashed around the funeral home as Alastair lowered the reaper to the floor and moved towards Tessa. 

Sam nudged Amy in the shoulder and pointed up to a chandelier directly above the reaper trap. 

Alastair grabbed Tessa by her shoulder and pulled her up, holding the scythe to her neck. 

“Stop!” Tessa cried out.

Amy focused on the chandelier, pulling it towards the ground with Sam and Dean’s help.

“ _Hic cruor messorius_ ,” Alastair began, “ _illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit_ —”

The chandelier began to shake violently. Amy concentrated harder as Alastair continued the spell.

“— _aperiat ut resurgat_!”

Before Alastair could kill Tessa, the chandelier fell onto the reaper trap, breaking it. Tessa vanished from Alastair’s grasp, reappearing next to the candle stand. She unhooked the chain, dropping it to the ground. 

Dean waved at Alastair. “Bye-bye.”

Amy smirked as she disappeared with Sam, Dean, and Tessa. 

* * *

Amy found herself waking up back in the motel room, rather than outside the funeral home. Sam was already awake, holding Pamela up as she painfully clutched her stomach.

“Pamela?” Amy asked. She looked up at Sam. “What happened?”

Sam looked over his shoulder and Amy followed his gaze. The motel room looked ransacked and one of the demons from earlier was slumped against the wall, a knife in his hand. 

“Shit,” Amy hissed. She quickly stood up, helping Sam sit Pamela down on the chair nearby.

“You’ll be okay, Pamela,” Amy told the psychic. She was lying, though. She knew she was and she knew Pamela knew it too.

Pamela started laughing. 

“What's so funny?” Sam asked. 

“I can't die—not in this town.” Pamela took her hand away from her wound. There was no blood.

“Pamela-” Sam began.

Pamela coughed. “Quit your worrying, grumpy.” She patted Sam on the shoulder. “How about you make me a drink, huh?”

“You need a doctor,” Sam stated.

“Make me a drink, Sam,” Pamela repeated.

Sam nodded uneasily. “Okay,” he finally said. “Okay.” 

Sam stood up and poured Pamela a glass of whiskey, handing it to her. Pamela downed the drink in one sip, before painfully standing up, using Sam and Amy for support.

“Let’s wake up that brother of yours,” Pamela groaned. She supported herself on the bed and leaned over Dean’s body. “ _Imum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis_.”

Sam helped Pamela sit on the other bed. “Hey, we just gotta talk to Tessa, that’s all,” he told her. “Get her to hold back reaping till we get you better.”

Pamela leaned back against the headrest. “I’m pretty sure she’s started up again.”

“What do you mean?” Amy asked, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. 

Pamela removed her hand from her wound for a brief moment, just long enough for blood to start pouring out.

Dean sat up with a loud gasp. “What happened?” he asked when he saw Pamela.

“Dean, where's Tessa?” Sam asked.

Dean hesitated. “She's...”

Pamela sat on the bed and took off her sunglasses, dropping them to the ground.

“Pamela, I'm so sorry,” Sam apologized.

“I wish there was something we could do,” Amy added.

“Stop,” Pamela snapped. She let out another pained cough.

“You don't deserve this,” Sam continued.

“Yeah, I don't,” Pamela agreed. “I told you I didn't want anything to do with this. Do me a favor? Tell that bastard Bobby Singer—to go to hell for ever introducing me to you three in the first place.” She turned her head towards Amy. “And you?” Pamela groaned again. “Screw you.”

Pamela started coughing more violently. Dean moved forward to support her. “Take it easy, Pamela.” He let out an uneasy laugh. “If it's any consolation, you're going to a better place.”

Pamela scoffed. “You're lying. But what the hell, right? Everybody's got to go some time.”

Pamela gestured Sam closer. “Come here.”

Sam leaned closer and Pamela whispered something Amy couldn’t hear in his ear. Sam pulled away shakily as Pamela started to cough up blood.

Sam shook the psychic. “Pamela?”

Pamela didn’t respond. Her head slid lifelessly down the headboard.

“Pamela!” Amy cried out frantically.

Dean looked up at Sam. “What did she say to you?” he asked. 

Sam looked away, not responding. 

Dean let go of Pamela’s hand as Amy stood up and walked away from the bed. “She’s dead,” he muttered.

Amy sighed. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, and put her face in her hands. “I should have been able to do something,” she muttered.

“There was nothing you could have done, Amy,” Sam assured her. “This wasn’t your fault. Pamela was already dead before she woke us back up.”

Amy turned her head away from the Winchesters. She barely registered Dean walking up and helping her to her feet as Sam gently wrapped Pamela up in the bedsheet and picked up her body, following them out the door.

Sam placed Pamela in the trunk of the Impala. Amy stayed silent as she climbed into the backseat. Dean started the engine up and started his drive down the road. 

* * *

**December 22nd, 2008 - Cheyenne Wyoming**

No one said a word the entire drive. When Dean finally pulled into a clearing in the middle of nowhere, they got out of the Impala. Amy silently helped Dean build up a pyre while Sam pulled Pamela from the trunk and gently placed her on top. 

Dean poured lighter fluid and salt on the body, before lighting a match. He took a deep breath. “Well, good-bye, Pamela.” His voice shook on every word.

“I’m so sorry,” Amy whispered, refusing to look at the pyre. “You don’t deserve this.”

Dean dropped the match on the pyre and it burst into flames. A tear rolled down Amy’s cheek as the stood with Sam and Dean, watching the wind blow the flames around. She felt so guilty as Pamela’s body burned before her eyes. Maybe, if Amy had warned Pamela before they became ghosts, or if they had never become ghosts, this wouldn’t have happened. 

Amy wiped the tears from her eyes as the flames died down. She needed to do something, to change something. She had already made the mistake once when Dean went to Hell, by not saying something sooner, and she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

“There’s something I need to tell you guys.” Sam and Dean looked down at Amy. “It’s about Lilith, Ruby, and the seals.”

  
  



End file.
